


Shadows on this world

by VereorInHell



Series: The Stories They Didn't Tell You [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationship, Anchor dynamic, Building relationship alpha beta omega, Character Study, F/M, Friendship/Love, Introspective journey into Theo's personality, M/M, Morally Ambiguous Character, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Post-Episode: s06e20 The Wolves of War, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, True Alpha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2020-11-27 01:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 127,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20939762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VereorInHell/pseuds/VereorInHell
Summary: Something is wrong with Beacon Hills. Again.And it's up to the McCall pack to investigate and possibly save the day. Again.This might screw Liam and Theo up a bit. Again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eneiryu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eneiryu/gifts).

> No, I don't know what I'm doing. I repeat, I don't know what I'm doing. 
> 
> Hopefully this is going somewhere. Bear with me.
> 
> This is all dedicated to amazing Eneiryu, whose works you have to read. It's a moral imperative.

In the deep of the forest there is an old log. It isn't really a log, more likely the stump of a formerly huge tree.

There are many reasons why even the dumbest creature would know, stumbling nearby, that this isn’t a stump of a tree just like any other. First of all, the dimension. The stump is huge. Whatever tree was once standing over it, it must have been impressively tall, big, and incredibly old. This is all that is left, after someone cut the greatest tree this area has ever seen. The world, maybe.

The second reason is that weird things happen around it. People disappear or reappear, after years they have vanished from the world. Some die here, others are brought back to life. There are people, or creatures, depending on what is your sensitivity in this regard, that see things, because of that stump.

Maybe it’s just the old tree, angry for being dead, or almost dead at least, and the nightmares, visions, memory loss, death and rebirth are all parts of its twisted plan for revenge. If a tree can have a revenge plan, that is.

Maybe a tree that big, great and majestic could, though, couldn’t it?

The tree wasn’t just a tree. It was a Nemeton.

And if you don’t know what a Nemeton is, oh, you lucky child born from the last remaining drops of innocence on this world: run. Run away, and don’t you ever go near one of these stumps.

Xxxx

“Come on, Scott, we have asked his help already. I can work with him. I mean, it sucks, but at least he can fight, you know?”

Scott McCall, dopey teenager in his late teens and one of the rare creature that True Alphas are (it’s not just you: nobody would say that, from looking at his dopey smile), sighs and look at Liam with a quirked eyebrow.

“Come on” Liam insists.

Scott sighs again, and it comes out half a chuckle. He shakes his head. Liam means well, and Scott doesn’t doubt Theo’s fighting skills. It’s just that the last time he has allowed Liam so close to Theo the only thing he has achieved was, literally, death.

Although that’s not entirely true. Since then, Theo has helped, helped a lot, during the fights with the Wild Hunt and the hunters led by Monroe. He hasn’t reformed from all he has done, but neither Scott, nor anyone else really, can or will deny that Liam is alive because of Theo. And not only Liam, really.

So Theo is a shady character. So he looks like he wants to rehabilitate his name and show he’s changing, even if sometimes Scott has the suspect that this wish is so truly coming from Theo’s subconsciousness, so embedded into it, that the chimera is barely aware of it himself.

Scott still feels the slight hesitation before assigning Liam to scout the preserve with their former enemy. Even if he can’t deny that Theo has mysteriously become Liam’s anchor, without neither him nor Liam noticing, let alone want it.

What should he do?

One hand on his hip, he rubs the other on his face, if only to buy himself some time before looking at Liam straight in the eyes. Thank god Malia is upstairs with Derek, and they are currently too busy discussing the part of the plan that involves the two of them in their shifted, lupine (or, well, coyote) form. She would have fixed Liam with one of her usual, scathing expression she reserves for whoever brings up the opportunity to involve Theo in their plans, and Liam would have started protesting. All the while smelling terribly embarrassed, as if not even he himself could believe he was really talking in Theo’s defense.

No, this time Liam has chosen the right time to ask: he has waited long enough to be alone with Scott, and has asked his question. If it wasn’t Liam, Scott would feel cornered. Because it’s Liam and being Scott’s only ever bitten beta, he is a sometimes awkward, sometimes just endearing mixture between a son and a younger brother, so Scott doesn’t feel cornered. Only, maybe, a little bit played. But this isn’t Liam learning from Theo. This is one hundred percent all Liam.

“What’s the point in sending him with Derek and Malia. She has the strongest sense of smell of us all, and Derek is a close second. Why send Theo with them? I don’t see the point, beside the fact that it’d be cool to have a fully shifted trio of wolves tracking the preserve.”

Scott scoffs lightly at Liam’s blatant attempt for sarcasm. He is right, though. There is little sense in adding a third party to that task. Malia and Derek can definitely handle it just as well.

“A third wolf would help covering more ground faster” he replies, just to see what Liam’s next argument will be.

“It is, I’m not saying to send one less. I’m telling you to send one more: me”

Scott quirks again his eyebrow that signifies he’s impressed. Maybe Liam is learning something from Theo, after all. Though this could be Stiles just as well.

“You?” Scott echoes.

“Argent said not to go anywhere alone. I can’t run with them when they’re shifted. I mean, yes, I could, but it’s a bit of a hassle. Let me go with Theo, like this” Liam explains, gesturing vaguely at his all body.

Scott twirls that thought in his mind for a few seconds. It doesn’t sound like a bad idea. They need someone to run the preserve and figure out what is that is giving Lydia the weird feeling she's been having for the past few days, coming from the woods. It could be hunters, but it’s more likely to be something else. They only know that they don’t smell blood, which is a small mercy maybe, but a good thing, nonetheless.

Theo knows the preserve well, just as he knows a lot of supernatural sources of danger that Liam doesn’t. He knows as much as Derek, maybe more, thanks to his past with the Dread Doctors. Liam will be safe with him. And he has already proved he will take a bullet or two for Liam.

‘Unless now is when he stops playing nice’ he thinks cynically, but even in the privacy of his own mind that thought sounds absurd and stupid.

If Theo had wanted to still pursue that path, even after seeing the result of his first attempt, he would have acted differently already. He has been through some serious shit to cover Liam during the Hunt and protect him from the hunters. It’s true that Theo is an incredible liar, a murderer, and one can never know what his goal is, but, somehow, Scott feels he can trust him on this.

After all, if Peter Hale has come around, why couldn’t Theo Raeken?

“Fine” he decides, shaking one hand in the air as if he wanted to shake the cynical thoughts away.

“Go with him. Theo” he calls, raising his voice.

Theo, who is in the kitchen and is helping Scott’s mother to bake whatever she has decided to bake before the elder members of the pack leave, stills immediately, arm hanging awkwardly mid-air. Scott and Liam hear the soft voice of Ms. McCall asking him why he is slacking off, those eggs won’t beat themselves.

Scott smiles, hearing Theo answer her that he thinks he has heard his name from the dining room, where Scott and Liam are, and is about to burst laughing when his mom sarcastically points out that a terrible excuse to escape the chore he has been assigned, and really Theo, I thought you were better at this lying thing.

“Theo” Scott repeats louder, so that his mother hears as well and knows that Theo isn’t making it up.

Soft footsteps announce Theo’s arrival; he appears in the doorway, still beating with a fork the eggs in the bowl he's been sent away with. He looks relaxed but tired at the same time, and Scott wonders why he hasn’t noticed before. He must have had a few restless nights too many, and, has he lost weight, or is it just the shirt that he has borrowed from Derek too big?

Once again, Scott feels this new, incredibly difficult to explain or justify pull towards Theo, former lier and killer (former killer of Scott himself), to make sure he stays, to care for him just like Scott does for any other member of the pack. Dr. Deaton has once explained that this is the pull that Alphas feel, pushing them to tend and care for their pack, and it is particularly stronger in True Alphas. Scott just wonders what the hell the True Alpha in his brain is thinking, if he feels that Theo should be pack, too.

“Scott said we can patrol the preserve together” Liam says, almost bouncing on his heels with impatience at the silence from Scott.

Scott represses a smile. Theo quirks an eyebrow and looks at both of them with a surprised expression, masking it with a good dose of sarcasm.

“I didn’t know we wanted it? And so badly?”

Liam rolls his eyes.

“Fine. Be an ass. I meant to say, Scott said we should go to the preserve, run around and see what we can find”

Theo purses his lips, obviously refraining from repeating his previous point. Scott intervenes before he gives in to the temptation and asks if that’s ok with him.

“I just thought you wanted to send Malia and Derek. Me too, eventually, but, you know. Shifted” Theo shrugs.

Scott nods.

“That was the plan. But Liam has a good point, sending him too would be a good idea. His sense of smell is as fine as theirs. You don’t mind going with him, do you?”

“I don’t need a babysitter” Liam mutters under his breath, cheeks flushed.

Theo looks at him as if he is visibly fighting down a rude reply, and Scott appreciates the effort to not start another of their frequent petty fights. They're childish and pointless, but very funny to watch, generally, but Scott's fun is usually spoiled when he starts feeling that he should intervene before they start with punches.

“So, when do we leave?” Theo asks directly to Scott.

“Later. Derek and Malia are waiting for the darkness. They’ll attract less attention that way. You two should do the same”

Theo nods. He is still beating the eggs with the fork, as he has been instructed. Scott notices that the bowl in those hands (clawed hands that have once killed him) is his mother’s favorite, or at least the one she uses the most because it’s tall enough not even her clumsy son will spill eggs beyond the edge.

“Ok” Theo just says, and makes to go back to the kitchen, but actually waits in the doorway to see if they have anything else to add.

“I’ll come with you, see if mom needs more help” Scott says.

Liam trails behind them.

“Oh, good, Theo, you’ve brought more helpers!” Ms. McCall cheers from the spot where she’s working on more baking dough.

Liam steals chocolate chips from where Stiles is piling them. He hastily retreats behind Theo’s larger frame to find shelter from the threat of a wooden spoon.

“You little thief! Theo, move, I shall bring punishment onto him”

“Stiles, you’ve spilled milk on the table again” Theo replies in a flat tone, distracting Stiles from hitting Liam, suddenly too focused on not spilling more milk, cleaning up the table and apologizing to Ms. McCall.

Liam smiles at Theo, a small movement of his lips only for the chimera. He sits by his side to help him pour the flour in the bowl. From where he’s helping Stiles, Scott sees that smile, and he frowns slightly, wondering.

The pull for extending the warmth of pack to Theo doesn’t dim.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A body in the wood.

There is a thing in the dark. She doesn’t know more. It’s a thing, it’s alive, and it’s scary. She’s afraid, more than she’s ever been, and she doesn’t know why. The thing comes closer, closer and closer. She’s frozen on the spot.  


The deer she has been running after lies in a puddle of mud beside the thing. Its snout has a weird expression. Can a deer look scared? This one does. Maybe it’s the poor light: it’s the twilight, the sun has already set and the sky is getting darker. Dark enough that she can no longer distinguish what the thing coming towards her is.

The deer isn’t slaughtered, its throat doesn’t look thorn open, and it doesn’t look like the thing was eating it, but the deer lies dead in the dirt, anyway.

The girl steels herself, or at least that is what she tells herself she is doing. She is actually frozen on the spot, her feet too heavy to move. When the thing approaches close enough, reaches for her, and swings something that could or could not be a paw towards her, she goes down like a ragdoll.

She lies dead in the dirt, close to the deer, on her face an expression of terror and a single rivulet of blood streaming from a corner of her mouth, where she has bitten her tongue so much it’s bleeding, dripping through her clenched teeth.

Xxxx

Derek and Malia are close, but it’s Liam the first one to smell it.

He stops in his track, and Theo notices immediately, halting right beside him. Liam has been running fast, not too fast not to be able to smell properly but not slow either; it hasn’t exactly been a struggle for Theo to keep up, but he can hear Liam’s heart beating in his chest, and he feels a slight pang of envy noticing that Liam, true werewolf, has a steadier beat.

Difficult to reply when the little shit shows off and says he’s the fitter one of the two, isn’t it? But damned to the end of time if Theo will ever be caught admitting it might be true.

“What?” he asks, but the moment he asks, he too smells something.

“Blood?” Theo asks, seeking confirmation.

It’s so faint, it could be anything, a squirrel being eaten by a hawk, or any other carnivore animal having dinner with whatever prey – but then, the moment he is thinking which animal it could be, he realizes that no, this is human blood. And death, the smell of a human, dead body. But there isn’t enough blood to justify the death.

Maybe someone had a stroke?

“I don’t... I’m not sure. I smell human blood, close. But… not enough?” Liam tries to explain, screwing up his expression while he struggles to better decipher the smell.

The wind changes and Theo is suddenly hit with the overwhelming smell of fear.

“Oh” says Liam: “I.. I smell fear”

“Me too. Let’s go” Theo suggests, and they sprint towards the source of the smell. They follow more the stench of fear than the too soft, too vague smell of blood.

They find two bodies. Flashing eyes to better see in the now complete darkness, they see a human body and a deer, lying close to each other. Malia howls not too far, and Liam answers to her softly. She and Derek, both in their lupine forms, arrive shortly after.

Theo is already hunched over the deer. There is a taut expression on its snout, it looks like it has been scared to death. There is no other sign of violence. He moves to the girl, using the tip of a claw to move her light-colored hair from her face. She’s fallen on her back, and her face is a mask of terror. She is also very pretty.

‘Well, was’ Theo mentally corrects himself.

Behind him, Liam grimaces and makes a small sound of distress.

“I thought we were done with the Anuk’ite” he mutters. In the silence of the clearing where they are, it echoes as if he had said it louder. He reeks of frustration and Theo could vaguely admit relating to it. He’s tired of inexplicable deaths in the woods. What’s with Beacon Hills and sudden, mysterious death? Seriously.

Derek and Malia trots close to them. Derek is the bulkier, black wolf. He’s a bit bigger than Theo himself, his fur a darker shade of black. Derek flashes eyes at him, and Theo scoots back, still hunched between the girl and the deer. Derek sniffs at the girl while Malia sniffs at the deer. She looks very tempted to eat it.

“Malia, don’t” Liam says, tone between stern and a prayer.

Malia snorts and circles around the girl, coming to Derek’s other side, the one farther from Theo.

“She’s bitten her tongue. The blood can’t be the reason why she’s dead” Theo reasons aloud, looking at both wolves. “She looks like she’s been scared to death”

Derek looks down at the girl, then at Malia. Then something beyond her catches his interest, and he trots away. Theo follows him with his eyes, and damn, of course, how had he not noticed it yet?

“The fucking Nemeton” Liam mutters behind Theo.

Theo definitely relates.

They hear a telling, crunching and snapping noise of bones and one moment after Malia has shifted back to human.

Liam squeaks and practically punches himself in the face so fast he slams his fists up. Malia rolls her eyes and scoffs, muttering something about children being idiotic. Derek is silently chuckling, if wolves can chuckle. Theo is blushing, at least he thinks he must be from the way he feels his cheeks heating up. He raises a silent, fervid thank to the darkness, not wanting to be caught reacting like Liam is, or not much differently anyway. Malia, after all, is standing naked right in front of him, and… well, she’s hot, ok?

Anyway, he shrugs off his jacket with a scoff that's supposed to hide his embarrassment, but his jerky movements betray him, or at least they don't fool either Derek or Malia. He hands her the jacket anyway, and she rolls her eyes a second time but shrugs the article on, making a show of zipping it up till the last tooth.

Only after hearing the zip hitting the case does Liam peer through his fingers. Theo would love to mock him, at least for looking this naive and cute, but he's too busy being embarrassed himself.

"Are you decent?" Liam asks.

He even sounds like a child.

"Well if she wasn't you'd be seeing that now, wouldn't you" he can't help drawling. He smirks for good measure, not resisting the temptation of irking Liam.

He blushes even more, if possible. Theo wonders if he's hurting himself doing it.

"I heard the zipper" he protests.

"Whatever" Malia interrupts them brusquely. 

"She still reeks of fear. Something smells funny. This was done by something that has nothing to do with human" she declares, casting a glance towards the Nemeton. She stops and looks deep in thought. Derek looks back at her, and then she inexplicably nods. Theo wonders with a slight dose of terror if she and Derek can actually communicate with each other in this form. He wouldn't have any idea how to even try. Not with a human.

"She wasn't human, anyway. So whatever it is that killed her, it killed a deer and a supernatural"

"One victim is hardly enough for a MO" Theo points out, standing up from his crouched position. He can look straight into her eyes now. They're still too deep, too sharp, like every time whenever she shifts back to her human form. It's a bit unsettling. It makes him feel nervous. He has seen a lot of unsettling things, and it bothers him that he reacts so much for this. 

Malia looks unimpressed.

"The place smells so much like magic I can hardly breath. Tell me how could a human do that"

"It could have been a spell, you know" Theo argues, but even he himself doesn't believe it. There is something in this place that makes him think it is very unlikely that a human is behind this death. Too much magic in the air.

"... Even if it looks like a sacrifice" he adds, with a grimace.

Malia pulls her lips in a taut line.

"I don't know anything about that, I just know this place reeks of magic, and I don't smell anything human" she insists.

She's right, Theo thinks. He doesn't smell any trace of human in the area. 

"I don't smell humans either, but I don't understand what she was" Liam adds.

Theo does.

"She was a nymph" he answers, and, at Liam's blank stare, he explains that nymphs are harmless creature that you could take for humans, so little supernatural vibe they give. They predict the future and are particularly tuned with the nature surrounding them, which makes the fact that there is one dead so close to the local Nemeton even weirder.

"Usually, nymphs act as protectors, guardians of a Nemeton. In their absence, a druid would do the job"

Liam frowns.

"But Beacon Hills has a druid. I mean, Dr. Deaton keeps this place checked, it's how he knew about that something escaped after the Hunt, doesn't it? Even if back then he didn't know it was the Anuk'ite"

"Yes, he does. This doesn't make sense. We have a dead guardian of Nemetons who died basically on top of the thing she was supposed to guard. It doesn't make sense" Theo shakes his head, deep in thoughts.

"Maybe the Nemeton didn't like being guarded by her?" Malia asks in a neutral tone.

Theo shakes his head no.

"Nemetons don't care who guard them. They certainly don't cause the death of those guarding them. They might eat their vital energies, but they wouldn't kill them. Plus, it wouldn't explain why she's here. If she was from Beacon Hills, why has she never protected the Nemeton? Nymphs are... Almost compelled by their nature to go to the nearest Nemeton, and take care of it. So..."

"Why has she never turned up before then?" Liam completes Theo's question.

"Exactly"

There is a small rustling sound and a loud crack, and Derek appears, human and naked, sitting in the grass by the giant stump of the Nemeton tree.

"We need to make sure if she was from around. And we need to look up what can kill preys just by scaring them" he declares.

Theo bites the inner of his cheek, a bit frustrated. He's glad to notice that even Liam smells embarrassed. Does anybody in the Hales have the smallest propensity for decency?

"It's still to early to draw any assumption. You go back to Scott's and tell the other. Me and Malia will finish covering the rest of the preserve" Derek goes on, and it is really difficult to distinguish if the tone is a suggestion and an actual order. Coming from Derek Hale, it's probably both.

Still, it's a good idea, so Theo just nods. Malia unzips the jacket and hands it back to Theo, who realizes it a tad too late and finds himself staring at her naked body in all its glory. Liam squeaks again and once again covers his eyes, but Theo is too late, and he struggles to look away from the vivid reality displayed in front of his eyes. Malia knows: she still has her arm stretched out, handing him his jacket back, but there's a telling smirk on her face. Theo's eyes move up to her face and see that smirk only after a lot of effort.

He grabs his jacket and shrugs it back on with his eyes firmly on the ground. Malia shifts back into a coyote and trots to where Derek has gone lupine, too.

"We need to talk about this nudity thing, guys" Liam comments, before grabbing Theo by the elbow and heading away from the clearing.

Above them, the moon is barely visible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The body count goes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said: bear with me. I might know where this is going. I've got the layout at least. Now I just have to keep writing it.

Theo doesn’t sleep well that night. Then again, he rarely does. Even now that he has a roof on his head and it’s not the one of his truck, he still wakes up in the middle of the night.

He doesn’t want to think about the nightmares. Having them is exhausting enough already, even without dwelling on their cause, why he has them. Or worse, questioning himself about deserving them.

He doesn’t want to think about his past. Maybe it’s because he knows he couldn’t deal, couldn’t handle that much regret. He doesn’t want to admit, out loud or even to himself, that yes, he has something to regret. A shitload of things he regrets.

He hates regret. Especially if he can’t make up for his last mistakes, and he knows he can’t. Death has the unpleasant tendency to stick to those it touches, and there is little he can do to bring back the people whose blood, directly or indirectly, stains his hands. 

He used to be proud of it, for fuck’s sake. He used to enjoy killing, because it was part of the plan, the road to pursue power and invincibility. He took pride in thinking the Dread Doctors were turning him into ‘perfect evil’.

Ah. funny that. The only successful chimera, and yet still a failure. Not ‘good’ enough to host the Beast, literally. The Doctors have picked real ‘good’, instead, and made Mason the designated host.

Now Theo knows he’s been lucky. Sebastian would have killed him, taken completely over him and annihilated him. But then, what has been the point of killing and conning people, if the evil he has become is not even worth it? If the final result can’t live up to the what it required?

He has tried to ignore it, this horrible sense of failure, to smother these doubts by stealing Scott’s pack and powers. Didn’t manage that, either, so he made a new plan: make himself his own pack. Failed that, too. He has accomplished nothing, he owns nothing… is he nothing?

He lives relying and depending entirely on Scott’s good grace, and heart, the same heart he’s tried to dig out Scott’s chest. If Scott was any crueler, any smarter, really – if he had any sense of self-preservation, Theo would be dead. But he isn’t, and he owes it all to Scott.

Theo has worked with the McCall pack during the Wild Hunt, because he had to. He has started because he didn’t have any other choice, and then took to it because, fine, working with Liam turned out to be fun.

Then he found himself in need, and wanted to call Scott so badly, but couldn’t, because, really, one good action couldn’t make up for the hundreds terrible deeds he had to make amend for, right? And when he was dragged into the fight (war, really) with Monroe’s hunters, he didn’t even have the chance to question his own reasons for helping the pack himself. His life was at stake, too, just like theirs. And fighting with, and alongside Liam was, is really fun.

Although, to be honest, Liam being fun to fight with and alongside isn’t the only reason why Theo has stayed in Beacon Hills.

Theo knows he’s done terrible, unforgivable things, and he knows he’s the luckiest bastard on earth, because, of all the billions people on this planet, he’s being given the opportunity to atone, make amend to the eyes of the only one who could, after all, maybe, one day, forgive him: Scott McCall.

And Liam. Though that’s a different story, and Theo… he doesn’t want to think about it. Liam has been suspicious, at first. Wisely, healthily so. He has questioned Theo’s reasons for helping them (him) many times, during the Anuk’ite and his reign of terror. But, other than then, after that, Liam has acted as if he really liked working in team with Theo.

Hell, not even a few hours before he has explicitly asked Scott to be paired with Theo.

Theo doesn’t want to – shouldn’t think about it. He shouldn’t wonder if this means that Liam has forgiven him. Most of all, Liam shouldn’t forgive, or have forgiven, Theo, at all.

Xxxxx

"Dude, you don't understand. She looked like she's literally been scared to death" Liam remarks, with a hint of frustration in his voice. 

He's been explaining to Corey and Mason what he and the others have found in the woods by the Nemeton the night before. And they're being very curious and inquisitive about it.

They walk the BHHS halls talking with more ease, compared to what they used to do before the Anuk'ite, when nobody knew what they were, and those who had an idea kept quiet about it. Now they don't have to bother with silence anymore, they can keep a normal tone, when it's about any supernatural related topic. Of course, they still have to keep it quiet when they're talking about finding dead bodies in the woods.

Mason, bracketed between Liam and Corey, walks with his fingers hooked under the straps of his backpack. Liam knows that's the only way to keep him from gesticulating. Mason talks with his hands so much he could be Italian. Maybe he has some ancestors...? For a crazy second, he pictures his best friend with a Sicilian accent and the flat hat people wear in the Godfather movies. 

Weird.

Mason screws his face up in a thoughtful expression, dragging Liam out of his reveries.

"It could be possible. That she died because of a really hard scare. You said she was young, but a stroke induced by a panic attack could happen even if you're young, I guess"

"Mmm, I don't think so" Corey comments, looking skeptic. 

"From what I've heard, she was just fifteen, and that's a bit too young for a stroke, don't you think?"

"Unless she had a heart condition, which we should make sure of. And how did you find out how old she was?" Mason asks, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity.

Corey shrugs.

"I've seen her two days ago, here. She was talking to some girls, and I was close enough to hear. They stopped where I was long enough that I heard her name, her age. She was explaining that she had just moved in with his parents"

Mason quirks another eyebrow, screwing his face in a slightly different way, more amused now.

"Since when do you even listen to girls talking?"

Corey rolls his eyes and smiles at him.

"Since I'm stuck invisible in a corner and they're between me and the rest of the corridor. I didn't want to scare them, and it took me a while before I could sneak out without shifting back to visible. I didn't want to scare them"

Liam chuckles a 'good thinking'.

"So what exactly did you find out?" he asks.

"As I said, her name was Aileen Darrell, which, before you ask, Mason, I remember only because it sounded a vaguely Asiatic name and she didn't look Asiatic at all. And Darrell is the author of a book I've read recently. Well, close enough to his name, anyway. She said she was from Ohio, her parents moved for work... And she didn't really look like she was a supernatural. Either she was really good at hiding it, or she didn't know"

Liam frowns.

"How can you not know?"

Mason shrugs. 

"There are species where the supernatural characteristics don't show until late. Or, you said maybe she was just that good at hiding what she was? Maybe she's always lived knowing she was a supernatural and it came naturally to hide it, to blend in"

Corey nods: "She gave me the vibe of a very quiet person. As in, one who likes peace, you know"

They walk in silence for a bit, then Liam frowns again.

"I wonder what that deer was doing there. It looked scared to death too" 

"Well, do we at least know if it died before her?" Mason asks.

Liam pulls his lips in a thin line.

"Come on Liam, weren't you with Theo? I know you suck at this kind of things, but, haven't you asked him?"

"Yes. He thinks the girl and the deer died more or less at the same time"

Liam adds a quick explanation of what Theo said the night prior. That the girl was a nymph, what those are, what they do, very in tune with nature, can see the future...

"It doesn't explain why the deer was there, but it confirm the vibe Corey had" Mason considers.

"Yep" Liam nods.

"Anything else?" Corey asks.

Liam hesitates, looks around, lowers his voice.

"They said it could have been a ritual killing"

Mason's eyebrows go up, Corey just nods.

"A human, or well, a supernatural, and an animal, both dead. It surely sounds like a ritual" Mason agrees.

"And I guess one could find a connection between a dead nymph and a dead deer, too" Corey adds.

Mason sucks on his teeth and then kips his head up.

"Nymphs are guardians of nature, and deers are pacific herbivores?"

"And in myths nymphs often take the form of deers" Liam adds as an afterthought.

Corey nods, as if to say, that's my thought exactly.

"I think Theo said something like that, when we were thinking about the possibility it could have been a ritual killing. He pointed out nymphs are hardly predators, and the deer... Well. Same goes" Liam says.

Mason looks at him with a pointed look for a few seconds, turns to Corey, who is wearing the same, identical face, and they both turn back to Liam.

Who feels a slight bit uncomfortable.

"You seem to be paying a lot of attention to what Theo says, recently" Mason states innocently, with a look that betrays all the innocence of his voice.

Liam, faced with that double dose of inquisitive, allusive stare, blushes, before he can think about doing something to repress it.

Turns out it's not the reaction he should have gone for.

Mason stops in his tracks and grabs Corey's wrist in his hand, alarmed. He pales slightly and his eyes are blown wide.

"Oh no. Oh no! Liam, please, man, you know me. You know I would be one hundred percent supportive, if you ever decided to try swing this way, but just please"

By the time he's said this part, Corey has caught up with it and is looking at Liam with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

"Liam, not Theo" he half orders, half begs.

Liam blushes furiously, and gapes.

"What!" he stammers, and it's immediately obvious to everyone he's buying time. And failing.

"No, what are you even thinking! That's... That's not what I've meant! That's not what's happening, okay! I mean, I like to.. I mean, I don't, I don't like him! I like to fight with him, he's a good fighter, he's a good partner. Look, we're not even friends!"

Yep, failing miserably. If possible, he's only digging himself a deeper grave.

Mason and Corey trade worried, knowing glances.

"Guys!" Liam exclaims, frustrated.

Two identical looks of skepticism pin him, and he almost loses his resolve, but he soldiers through it.

"We aren't even friends" he repeats.

Again with the twin expressions of incredulity and skepticism.

"Seriously" he insists, and it occurs only after he's said it that maybe to sound more credible he shouldn't use the word 'seriously'. Whatever.

"I just like to work with him. In team. He knows a lot of stuff"

Mason sighs in surrender, earning a look of disbelief from Corey for what he must consider betrayal, and he shrugs.

"He does know a lot"

"Yes" Corey replies tartly: "which he has learned through lying and betraying all his life!"

"Look!" Liam exclaims again, redirecting Corey's attention back on himself.

"I know he's done terrible things. He's even made me do terrible things, do you think I will ever forget that? Or ever stop regretting doing any of them? No. But he's fought with us, with me, many times now. On our side. He's helped us. And it's true he did it to save his own ass at first, but..." 

He swallows and squares his shoulders, breathing through his nose.

"He's stayed. And we've all seen him with Gabe. He cared, he cared enough to help someone who's been shooting at him a few minutes before, and helped him dying in less pain"

Mason looks conflicted at this point, Corey only mad. Liam goes on anyway.

"I'm not defending him for what he's done in the past. That is... Unforgettable and unforgivable. But since he's back, he's been helping us. Ever since we brought him back"

"You" Corey interrupts him.

"Since you brought him back. And oh look, you've also destroyed Kira's sword, after he's asked. Then what?"

"Then he saved our lives!" 

"So had he, right before he betrayed us!"

"Guys!" Mason shouts, managing to bring the confrontation to a pause.

Liam swallows and darts a look around, noticing they've started to attract attention. 

"I just don't think you should forget what he was" Corey repeats, barely a whisper.

Liam holds his stare, breathing through his nose. He wants to reply, to say something, but right now the only thing he feels is IED-induced anger quickly mounting on.

Mason places a hand on his chest, meant to be comforting, and calls his name, but it doesn't help the way they've both hoped. Liam jerks Mason's hand away and turns, breaths through his nose a couple of times. Then he remembers a sarcastic voice egging him on. Come on, Liam, what do you want to do. Do you want to kill him? I'm just lending you my expertise, giving you some advice. 

"Liam, nobody is saying you can't work in team with him. Nobody could look at you two and say he's not a good partner, when he's with you. And... He's good in general, around you" Mason concedes, trying to be the voice of reason.

"He's my anchor" Liam says, still turned with his back to his friends.

"He's a killer, a liar and a murderer, and he's my anchor" he repeats softly.

He turns and looks at Mason, as if he was looking for comfort, now. Mason swallows, places again a hand on Liam's chest, smile softly.

"Liam, ..." he starts again, then turns to Corey.

The chameleon sighs.

"We know" he says.

Liam's eyes snap back to them, and he turns to see them properly. He doesn't bother hiding his surprise.

Corey sighs again before continuing.

"Liam, we know. We've known for a while. Look, he was a terrible alpha, and he's a self-centered, selfish asshole, and a conning bastard. But he's different with you. He's been different since you've brought him back"

"Proof is, he's stayed" Mason adds, echoing Liam's words from before.

"And," Corey goes on: "he was a terrible alpha, yes, but he's good at taking care of people, if only he wants to"

"We think you are his anchor just as he is yours" Mason explains, calm, clear and soft.

"We think you push him to be good"

Corey nods.

For a few seconds Liam can only look at them, taking in their words, taking in the fact that they're not refusing him after what he's confessed, taking in that they already knew. And that Theo... Is Theo...?

"You think?" he asks, and he has to clear his throat so hoarse his voice comes out at first.

Mason smiles. Corey has a more neutral expression, but at least he's not mad anymore.

"Look Liam, you're not stupid" Corey says: "and you know the guy. Just... Remember who he's been, ok? So maybe now he's trying to be different. Maybe he isn't. Maybe this is another plan and we don't know. I'm just saying... Be careful around him, ok? Be careful, before you trust him"

Liam smiles.

That's the thing with Theo, recently, the thing that has pushed Liam to start doubting that maybe, just maybe, Theo was walking on Redemption Road. Because before, when he was lying, he would do everything to make them trust him. It was basically impossible not to trust him. Even Lydia fell for it at some point. But now, now Theo acts in a completely different way. He doesn't try to gain your trust. It's like he doesn't even care if you believe him or not, he says what he thinks, anyway.

"He hasn't lied since he's come back. Not even once. I don't know why, but, he's preferred a punch in the face for being too honest than lying" he point out.

Corey shorts and look away. Mason rolls his eyes, and Liam sighs, attempting a smile.

"You're about to say that he hasn't lied yet, aren't you?" he asks Corey.

Corey smiles too: "Old dogs and new tricks, right?"

"Hey, at least now you've got better at spotting lies" Mason intervenes, going for a joke: "you're more credible now, if you say he hasn't"

Liam rolls his eyes and smiles back.

Yeah, he is.

Xxxx

He's on the phone with Scott.

Technically, he's in class, and he should listen to his teacher explaining the origin of the fixation that almost every author in modern English literature has to compare everything with Shakespeare, even centuries after his death.

But Liam personally finds his time is much better employed by texting Scott and telling him what Corey heard about the nymph girl. 

/You should listen/ Scott accuses.

Liam huff's and checks the teacher, but she's not looking his way.

/I am. Half. Almost/

/Liam/ Scott insists.

Boring, Scott. Boring and a lie. It's not like you've never done the same when it was your time in my place. 

/It's ok. So the girl was Aileen Darrell, 15 and new here/ he types.

/Liam/

Urgh, again??

/What/

/M already speaking w sheriff. I know that/

Oh, Liam thinks, finger hovering over the keyboard of his phone.

/Ok. Corey also said, she didn't look like she knew she was supernatural/

Scott doesn't answer for a few minutes. Liam is about to send him a question mark, when he reappears.

/Sheriff found smthg. Pack mtg later/

Oh. Now that's making him curious.

/Time?/

Scott texts him the time and Liam closes the conversation. The moment he puts his phone down, Mason taps his fingertips on the flat, plastic surface that covers their desks, rapping it a couple of time, attracting Liam's attention. He jerks his chin in direction ioff his phone and Liam picks it up again. 

The teacher is still looking the other way. Mason is asking what's happening. Liam updates him and they share a look of utter curiosity, only the slightly bit of fear. This is Beacon Hills, you never know what innocent words like 'the sheriff found something' could mean.

Mason texts Corey about the meeting. Liam watches him in the process and hesitates, picking his phone up a third time. He opens the chats page and his finger skims through them till he reaches one in particular, one that always makes him feel uncomfortable and question his life choices.

Usually it's followed by the decision to ignore the feeling entirely.

This time is no exception.

/Pack meeting today, you in?/

Theo asks him what time, and Liam answers.

/K/ Theo answers, and disappears, and Liam knows he won't write again for the following few hours.

Liam closes the page and feels like smiling, but he doesn't. Instead, he tells himself he's an idiot.

Xxxxx

They are gathered in the pack's preferred meeting place, AKA the big, comfy living room of the McCall household. 

Scott is already there, sitting on the sofa with Malia and Stiles bracketing him. Close to Stiles' left, Lydia has taken the only loveseat of the room, and she's sitting with her legs folded under herself. Ms McCall has taken seat at the dining table, close to which the sheriff, Argent and Derek still stand. 

Mason, Corey and Liam arrive together and move for the carpet, crouching down in a position that allows them to keep eye contact with every other occupant. The moment Liam has folded his knees to his chest there is a knock on the door, and Theo comes in, flicking a polite smile to Ms McCall and nodding to Argent and the sheriff. He goes to the standing men, stopping between Derek and the wall.

"We can start, I guess" Scott says, and the ones left standing grab a chair each, placing it so that they can all see the rest of the people. Argent sits very close to Melissa, who is now slightly in the back.

Sheriff Stilinski is the only one that still stands, and walks in the middle of the room. He places his hands in his hips and looks around, sighing at their expectant, curious faces.

"Yesterday night some of you have found the dead body of Aileen Darrell. She was a young girl of fifteen years old, and we later confirmed that yes, she was a nymph. She also died of what looked like to be a stroke, something pretty rare for someone her age. Especially because the forensics confirmed she didn't suffer of a particularly poor heart condition"

He takes a breath and digs in again.

"This morning we found another body. It was in the same spot where the first was, and, from the look of it, the cause of death is the same"

"Stroke and fear?" Stiles fills in.

The sheriff nods.

"Do we know the time of dead of this second body?" Stiles asks again, FBI training kicking in just as much as past experience.

The sheriff nods again.

"We do. The second body, another young woman, died only a few hours after Aileen"

Scott screws his face up.

"But, in the same place?"

"What happened to your men?" Stiles asks.

Sheriff Stilinski nods again.

"Yeah, I'm getting to that. As Stiles have just reminded you, the police leaves officers to guard the place where a crime is committed. This case was no exception. I've left two of my men, two navigated officers I trust with my life, and incidentally also two of the very few who didn't lose their mind during Monroe's shitshow. Anyway. They know their job, and it's not the first time I ask them to take on this task"

He sighs and shakes his head.

"They were knocked out and when they woke up this morning they found the second body. I've sent them to the hospital for a check up, they didn't look in good shape"

At this point he turns to look at Melissa, who grimaces.

"Yes, well, one of the two will definitely not remember about yesterday at all, for some time. He had a bad concussion. The other was only slightly more lucky"

The sheriff shakes his head and sighs.

"My two best witnesses are out, then. And we have a second body"

"Do we know who this second person was?" Scott asks.

"Not yet, we are working on the identification. It's a woman, doesn't look too much like a supernatural, but that hardly says anything, and she's a bit older than Aileen, but can't be older than twenty five"

"What about the deer, was there an animal, close to this second body?" Theo asks.

The sheriff turns to him and frowns, thinking.

"No, but I'm not sure. We should check again"

"Well, damn" Stiles exhales, slapping the air in front of him with a jerky movement of his hands.

"Right now that I was supposed to go back for the new semester"

"You still are" the sheriff informs him, pinning with a very fatherly raised eyebrow.

"Oh really" Stiles replies, all sass.

"No way I am leaving again with a shitshow coming up"

"Stiles, it's ok" Scott intervenes: "I'm staying anyway"

"Oh are you now" Melissa comments, candid and sassy at the same time.

Scott turns to his mother, slightly embarrassed.

"Uh, I've thought it might be better. I can work around here this year, so whatever happens with Monroe, I can deal with it. I mean, she's not disappeared, after all"

Malia nods.

"And he doesn't want to leave me alone an entire year. I told him I can take care of myself, but he doesn't want to see reason. I'm guessing he also likes to baby Liam, too"

Scott blushes furiously.

Argent and Derek look down, while the sheriff doesn't bother hiding the fond smile.

"Scott, we are always here to help, you know"

Liam feels like he should say something, but he doesn't exactly know what. Scott looks like he's even tempted, and he feels terrible. Is he the only reason, or part of it, is he partly the reason why Scott is postponing college and his own future? 

His jaw works open and closed a couple of times, and he's about to speak when he makes eye contact with Theo. He notices how the chimera's eyes go wider for a moment, and he stops. 

He frowns, and Theo looks at him pointedly, as if to say, think before you speak. He swallows and nods imperceptibly.

"Scott" he says.

His alpha looks at him. For a moment, Liam finds himself unable to go on. But then something inside him pushes and tells him, you have to say it, say it.

"You could go. We can take care of ourselves. As the sheriff has said, it's not like we would be alone"

So proud, he feels so proud of himself. His voice doesn't stammer, not even a little bit. And he can smell Theo's support and amusement from this far, so this means he hasn't screwed up. Yet. Right?

Scot hesitates, looking around.

"But... What if Monroe comes back? Derek, Argent, you would leave after her. And sheriff, even you can't do everything alone. It would fall on you, Liam" he pins him with the alpha version of the puppy dog, and Liam just doesn't get why Scott is being this thickheaded about this. 

Does he believe Liam needs pampering this much?

"Scott, I can take it. I can do this. Even should the three of them be away or busy, I could do this"

"Yes, but for how long?" Stiles asks, siding with his best friend.

"Stiles, shut up" Derek interrupts: "Scott, you could go. We wouldn't be away for ever. And even without us, the pack would still have enough allies to help"

Scott hesitates more, probably thinking about the implications of Derek's words.

More allies... Like Peter.

Or...

Scott sags a bit on his spot on the sofa, then turns to Theo. In the silence of the room, everyone looks at Scott looking at Theo, and not saying a word. For a while, Theo holds his gaze. Then, after a while, he tips his head to the side.

"What"

"Would you?" Scott asks, bluntly but still a bit enigmatically, enough that many foreheads frown.

"Would I what?" Theo repeats.

"Would you stay here and help them?" Scott clarifies.

Theo swallows. He holds Scott's stare and it's like the two of them are communicating someway, excluding anyone else in the room. Liam watches, and sees the way Theo's shoulders hunch a bit, his eyes change slightly, become greener.

"You know I will" he answers, calm, but not confident. He sounds like he's admitting something that costs him much to reveal.

Scott keeps watching Theo, then he smiles and moves to his mother. They hold gaze for another few seconds, without words, then she huffs and sighs.

Scott chuckles and pulls Malia in for a hug, kissing her temple.

"I guess you can take a sabbatical year to care for your pack before we solve the issue of a homicidal maniac who might come back and kill us all" Melissa comments, sassy but sweet, just like only she can do. Maybe Lydia too?

Lydia, who smirks at Stiles.

"Looks like we're the only ones leaving"

They smile at each other. Someone in the room chuckles and someone even laughs. Derek and Argent rolls their eyes at the same time, a synchronized movement that it's incredible it's not rehearsed. Scott is getting a lot of fond expression.

Liam isn't sure how he should feel. He thinks he should feel a bit offended, for not being given the chance to prove himself, but he's too busy feeling relief not to be left alone with all of the responsibility of leading a pack on his shoulders. He knows he can't hide that relief, and he doesn't try. Much.

He makes eye contact with Theo again, the green eyes having gone back to blue and grey. The chimera wiggles his eyebrows at him and smirks in complicity, as if to say I know you were scared shitless, but I'm proud you tried anyway. 

Liam presses his lips together to stop the smiles that threatens to break out, but fails. He smiles at Theo and Theo smiles back, and Liam looks down, because he's an idiot.

When he looks back up, Theo is talking with Argent about Monroe, but there are other eyes, deep and inquisitive and unyielding, that meets Liam's.

Derek's.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter. Another body. Some heart to heart, and some broken hearts.

As predictable, sheriff Stilinski doesn’t have the time to go see the body of the second victim, or even to go talk to the family once they manage to track them. He huffs and swears against impossibility to prioritize anything these days, and sends deputy Jordan Parrish in his stead.

A bit less predictable is that Theo’s phone rings and it’s the sheriff, half asking, half ordering him to tag along.

“I.. not that I have anything against deputy Parrish, sheriff, but, why are you asking me?” Theo asks, amused and curious, and a tiny bit worried that the sheriff might still be keeping an eye on him. Hasn’t he done enough to prove the man, even one so paranoid (and rightly so) like him, that Theo has reformed? Is reformed? Is trying to – whatever, that he works for the good guys now?

“You can detect lies and you know more about the supernatural. I don’t want to risk the life of one of my deputies sending them against the unknown. You’re smart, you can keep both him and yourself out of trouble”

Sheriff Stilinski is trying to go for casual but he still sounds like papa bear. Theo can imagine deputy Parrish grimacing and trying not to smirk, if he’s close to the sheriff.

He accepts. He’s told to meet Parrish at the morgue, and that’s when Theo regrets a little accepting. But there is no way he can call himself out of this, not without going for details he doesn’t want to share, details about that time in hell, Tara and nightmares of a heart ripped out. He tells himself he can do it, that he has, in fact, already done it, during the Wild Hunt, with Liam.

‘Hide with the dead!’ he remembers Liam’s face when he tried to explain his crazy idea, back then.

Theo drives to the morgue and parks his Toyota truck as far as he can from the entrance. He’d rather walk than risking some of that smell permanently stick to his car. True, he no longer sleeps in it, but this doesn’t mean he doesn’t spend a high amount of his time inside the vehicle.

He locks the truck and walks to where deputy Parrish is waiting for him. It’s not cold, but Theo doesn’t know what to do with his hands, so he slips them in the pockets of his jeans. Parrish, stood against the handrail at the top of the stairs leading to the entrance of the morgue, is doing the same thing.

He looks nervous, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed, twitching from time to time. Theo can sort of understand. Parrish is a hellhound, and their current task is to go see the body of a deceased supernatural. Parrish is probably itching with the need to go dispose of the body or just burn it.

It must be difficult, being a hellhound, Theo thinks, but then again it can’t be more difficult than being a murderer.

He nods a greeting, Parrish nodding back. He walks up to where Parrish is now straightening up from the wall. They don’t talk, just walk in silence through the entrance and the corridors of the morgue. The place is acoustically well isolated, and they don’t hear much noises. The smell of the chemicals used to store and preserve bodies is much stronger and more difficult to ignore, though, and Theo has to put a lot of effort to smother the memories it brings up. Gloved hands, surgery tables, but also waking up in a freezer and smelling the rotting under all the chemicals.

They reach the room where the body of the second victim is kept, and Theo pointedly ignores the wall of closed doors of the freezing recesses. Where other bodies are kept. Bodies that are dead, not bodies that wake up and have had their heart ripped out and- yes, thank you brain, you can stop now. A trip down memory lane is definitely not what he needs now.

The room is bare and empty, save for the metal table where the naked body of the second victim waits. There is a medical blanket, strategically placed so that it covers from mid-breast down, but you can still see the top parts of the upper scars left by the autopsy.

Theo mentally cringes, approaching the table. Another woman, young. Pretty too, if he can judge from her face. A closer look makes him frown, when he notices that actually this one isn’t just pretty. Aileen was pretty, as a fifteen years old can be, but this one… she was obviously older, and beautiful, even stunning. Alive, she must have been one of those beauties that make people turn back and stare when they cross the street.

“She’s beautiful” Parrish murmurs, the comment slipping out of his lips before he can notice. He blushes immediately after, probably realizing how unprofessional that was, but when he meets Theo’s eyes, the chimera smirks reassuringly.

“She was” he acknowledges with ease, because, what’s the point in denying?

He bends closer to the table. She is a little too beautiful, to be honest, and there is a doubt surfacing in his mind. He grabs a pair of sterile gloves and slides them on, the elastic smacking loudly in the silence of the room. He parts her lips, encountering only the slight bit of resistance, and opens her mouth just enough for the tip of his index fingers to slip in.

“What are you doing?” deputy Parrish asks, curious and just a little bit hostile.

“Checking for fangs” Theo answers, prodding with his fingers behind the upper row of teeth.

“Ah, here” he mutters. He raises the upper lip and shows Parrish two elongated canines.

Parrish bends closer and frowns.

“Vampire?” he asks, sounding more like he’s actually asking if vampires exist than actually raising the hypothesis this woman in particular was one.

Theo shakes his head no.

“Too pretty to be just a vampire. She was also able to go around during the day, considering that the body has been exposed to sunlight and nothing has happened. She must have been a succubus”

He takes a step back and slides the gloves off, throwing them on the table. He sighs, thinking. Parrish is frowning again and asks what a succubus is. Theo pulls his lips in a thin line and wonders how fast a training he can give to the only supernatural in sheriff Stilinski’s team. They need someone who knows this stuff…

“Generally, they’re an open door leading straight to trouble. In this particular case, however, I don’t know”

Parrish, of course, expects a deeper explanation than the cryptic line Theo has just given, so Theo starts thinking of everything he knows about succubi. It’s not easy, to condense all the knowledge he’s accumulated in years in just a few sentences.

‘This is… unpractical’ he thinks.

He asks the deputy what he already knows about them, possibly from the lore or myths or anything else. Parrish is almost cute when he frowns again, this time a bit more confused and almost desperate, and asks, aren’t they a bit like vampires?

Theo smiles. Looks like someone really wants to meet a vampire.

“Some are. Some aren’t. most species of succubi feed on the vital energy they drain out of other creatures, whatever they are, whether they’re human or other supernaturals. Mainly, this happens through sex: they bed a partner, and once they’re done, the partner is dead. If it was a human”

“Supernatural partners could regenerate the energies lost” Parrish adds, drawing the conclusion.

Theo nods.

“There is another species, not really a sub-species, but, they’re less in number. They not only feed on the life energies of their preys, but also on their blood. As I said, the number of this second species is smaller”

“Sounds like a good thing” Parrish comments.

Theo shakes his shoulders.

“I guess. They’re more aggressive, less integrated with humans. They don’t care if you’re dead when they’re done with you. The others, on the other hand, they tend to stop before their human partner is dead. It’s actually pretty common that they even mate with human partners”

Parrish hums, looking deep in thoughts. He watches the now disturbingly beautiful, dead body between them and makes a face.

“You want to know which one of the two she was, don’t you?” Theo guesses, smirking.

Parrish looks up at him and doesn’t say anything, he just waits for Theo to continues. The chimera points his finger in direction of the still parted open mouth.

“What do you think?”

Parrish snorts.

“Those teeth are sharp enough to make me say she’s the second type, blood and sex”

Theo finds it an effective way to summarize the personality of that kind of succubus. Maybe a bit reductive, but, whatever. He nods, explaining that succubi feeding only on life energy wouldn’t even need fangs, in the first place. Then he stops, looks at the body, caught in another doubt.

“What” Parrish prompts him after a while.

Theo raises his eyes and meets the deputy’s inquiring stare.

“Mmm? Oh. Nothing. It’s just… she looks like she hasn’t properly fed in a while, even before she died. Maybe she couldn’t. Or she didn’t want to”

But that would have been a very self-destructive move, basically condemning herself to starve to death. He can see the way the thought strikes Parrish, the deputy suddenly looking at the dead body in a totally more sympathetic way. He obviously likes to think she was some self-sacrificing heroine, but Theo wonders…

“Don’t jump to conclusion” he warns the deputy: “she could have been forced not to feed as she should have. If she was blackmailed into it, for instance. Succubi aren’t particularly strong, physically, and they’re really good at sex. If you can trick them into not fucking you till you’re dead, obviously. You don’t want to know how many times it has happened that people died, killed by succubi they’ve abducted”

Parrish frowns.

“That’s… horrible” he comments, looking aware of sounding naïve but too busy condemning the mere idea of it to give a damn.

Theo shrugs.

“Forced prostitution is a thing even among supernatural creatures, didn’t you know”

Parrish shakes his head and sucks on his teeth. He looks at the young woman with even more compassion.

“She worked in a night, in LA” he explains after a while.

Theo nods.

“Probably that’s how she fed. On her customers”

Parrish nods.

“But her record is clean, so, either she has never killed someone, or she worked for someone really good at disposing of the body”

‘Like another hellhound’ Theo knows it’s the way that sentence ends.

He shrugs again.

“It could be. But I don’t think that has anything to do with what’s happening here. I mean, knowing more about the victims might help us, but, I don’t think this has anything to do with her backstory. She was obviously killed by the same person who killed Aileen” Theo reasons.

Parrish nods.

“It just… pisses me off that we find out about this and we don’t have the time to go deep in this case, too. Forced prostitution, finding evidence of people exploitation, not being able to dig deeper into that mess... you know” he mutters.

Theo snorts.

“I really wouldn’t. You know who I am, right? I’m more likely to even know the guy she was working for. The Doctors knew a lot of shady people”

Parrish frowns, looking at him with disapproval. Theo doesn’t care. He knows what he’s done, and he knows he has to make amend for a lot of shit, regardless of what reaction the news of said shit gets from deputy Parrish. And, hey, he’s been a lot of bad things, but at least he’s never been a pimp, right?

“Whatever. I still don’t like where this is going”

Theo can’t help the burst of laughter this time, although he cuts it shortly after.

“We’re standing in front of a dead body, was there anything you’ve liked so far?”

Parrish snorts and smiles a bit, torn between wanting to glare at him and just admitting he found it funny. Then he smiles, a tad too patronizing for Theo’s taste.

“Glad to hear at least you don’t like hanging around dead bodies, anymore”

Theo takes it and only smirks. What can he say? He has seen a lot of dead bodies or people in the process of becoming dead bodies, with the Dread Doctors. And some of those dead bodies Parrish has buried, close to the Nemeton, only for Theo to bring them back to life, with the magic elixir that made the Doctors basically immortal.

They have some shared history here, that neither of them is particularly proud of.

“Anyway” Parrish says, clearing his throat: “I’ve read her files. Do you want to hear it?”

Theo shrugs.

“I don’t think there’s anything that will help, but… why not”

Parrish tells him. The girl was twenty-three, and her name was Alexis Warren, but she’s been a Sanchez since she was five years old. She was adopted after her mother disappeared when Alexis was not even one year old, and her father was murdered in an alley when Alexis was five. The Sanchez turned out to be a loving, doting foster family, who sent her to all the best schools they could afford, encouraging her to take all the extra-curricular activities she liked.

“How did she end in LA?” Theo asks.

“The Sanchez live here in Beacon Hills, but her biological family was from LA. She was still studying at UCLA to become a nurse”

“And she worked in a nightclub” Theo adds, nodding.

Parrish snorts: “This.. the succubi thing, is it genetic? If yes, I think we have just figured out what happened to Alexis' biological father”

Theo frowns: “Why? Yes, with succubi you can only be born one. What’s with the father?”

“Alexis’ mother disappeared when she was six months” Parrish explains: “the husband filled every form for missing people he could find. He was shattered when she left. Still he grew his daughter, alone. When Alexis was five, one night he was found in an alley”

“Murdered, you said?”

“Yes. Throat torn open and half naked”

Theo raises his eyebrows, casting an innocent glance up at the deputy.

“Looks like either Alexis’ mother was still around, or her family was”

Parrish nods: “My thoughts exactly”

Theo nods some more, then shakes his head.

“I don’t see how this could help us. I think Alexis was just unlucky and has inadvertently attracted the wrong kind of attention” he says.

Then he stops, frowns, and looks up at Parrish again.

“What did you say it was the animal you’ve found with her?”

“Uh, I didn’t. It was a hawk” Parrish answers.

They both look down at Alexis, then freeze and look back up at each other.

“Predators” they say at the same time.

Theo smirks. The deputy isn’t bad at this job.

“The hawk is a predator” he elaborates.

“So was Alexis, at least in theory” Parrish adds.

“It could still be a coincidence” Theo warns him, but not even he himself believes it, somehow getting a hunch this is the right direction.

Parrish sighs: “The only way to find out is to wait for the third body, you mean?”

Theo nods.

“I don’t like it either, but yes. It sounds too much like a ritual not to be one”

“And rituals usually have three victims?” Parrish asks neutrally.

“Well, not that I would know, so you can stop looking at me that way. The Doctors weren’t much the types for rituals, remember? But I would say yes, generally there is a third victim, from what I know. At least a third”

Parrish winces: “At least” he repeats: “it could be more, you think?”

Theo pulls his lips in a tight line: “Unfortunately? Yes”

Parrish sighs again, looking up at the ceiling at then back down to the body on the table.

“Let’s hope it stops at three then”

Theo snorts, not able to restrain himself at the naïve prayer.

“Usually, when they do, it’s because the performer moves on to phase two, which statistically is worse than the previous, and involves a lot more of dead people” he candidly reminds the deputy: “Anyway, I was thinking, why two victims the same night? Obviously the Nemeton plays an important role in whatever this ritual is, but, was there something special about last night? I saw there was the moon, but I wouldn’t know if there was something particular about it”

Parrish shakes his head.

“If you don’t know, do you think I would?”

Theo snorts and shrugs: “Whatever, it was just an idea. Maybe we can look it up”

“Do you think it could be a hunter?” Parrish asks: “someone who stages the killing so that it looks like it involves the supernatural?”

Theo hums.

“I don’t think so. The place reeked of magic. Hunters wouldn’t go for a spell, they would either choose bullets or poison. Why using something that belongs to the realm of things they hunt? Although, you know what, let’s keep that door open until we know more”

“You mean, till we find a third body”

Theo stretches his lips and nods; Parrish sighs, rubbing one hand on his face and then through his hair.

“We have to talk to the sheriff, before we go to the Sanchez”

“Make it a conference call” Theo suggests: “we should probably tell also Scott and Argent. Maybe Derek, too. No point repeating the story three times”

Parrish fishes his phone out and calls.

Xxxxx

As expected, they find it a good idea. Nobody actually believes it likely to be true, but it offers them the chance to do something practical. Chris Argent and Derek immediately volunteer to go find whoever between their contacts that could help, with anything, ideas, suggestions, past experiences… anything that could bring them closer to figure out what is going on, before they find a third body.

Theo doesn’t take it personally. It's easier for him to admit that this isn’t the right way to gather any information, because the only information they can get will come only through the body of a third victim. He can understand that nobody of the people on the phone, with the exception of himself, can live in peace knowing this, knowing that there is absolutely nothing they can do to stop the third kill from happening.

It’s not that Theo doesn’t mind a third person dying either – weirdly enough, he does. It’s only that he has learned to admit when the easiest way doesn’t take him anywhere. He has painfully learned, during the painful training the Dread Doctors offered to anyone who wanted to survive living with them, to acknowledge when the only good, productive thing to do is waiting for things to happen. Even if it means waiting for the proverbial shit to hit the proverbial fan.

Because a third kill will happen. It’s also highly likely it will again be a supernatural, although that is impossible to ascertain without knowing how many sacrifices this ritual requires in total. He is very, very sure this is a ritual, nothing to do with hunters. He just doesn’t know what is the goal, the purpose behind. Is it to gain power? If yes, to do what? Or is it just a ritual where the only goal is to kill the victim itself? There are rituals that, through one kill, enable the performer to stage the next one. It could be a thing like that. But the animal…

Theo shakes his head.

Derek and Argent will go, then. Fine. Of the six people currently on the phone, only one is naively hoping they will come back with anything remotely useful, and that someone is Scott, and not even he really thinks it likely to occur.

Which is as if to say they all know they will never manage to figure anything out before a third person dies.

Xxxxx

Liam has practice.

Nolan is weird around him.

Not ‘I’m secretly a hunter and want you dead’ kind of weird, and not even ‘I’ll punch you when you’re on the floor till you cough blood up for a week’ kind of weird.

It’s the ‘I feel immensely guilty and I don’t know how to atone’ weird. In Liam’s opinion, there are very few, close to none type of weird worse than this. The guilty weird is the weird Liam can’t handle. He literally doesn’t know what to do. He thinks he can understand, maybe, with some effort, that this must be extremely unpleasant for Nolan, too, but.

Liam isn’t going to apologize for almost splattering his skull against a rock. He broke his own hand in his effort not to, so Nolan can fuck off, that’s the only sorry he’ll get from Liam. But this look, this constantly haunted look of ‘I want to apologize but don’t know how and I’m drawing in guilt in the meantime’ – Liam can’t get it. If you feel that guilty, then do something about it. And if you can’t do it with words, then let your actions speak for you.

Liam has apologized to Scott with both.

Hell, even Theo has found a way to start making amend to the eyes of the pack, through actions. Which was a good choice because nobody, not even Liam, would have otherwise believed a single word he might have said, so. He went for actions, instead. And actions are silent, you can choose when to acknowledge them (Malia has only recently started, for example), but soon or later you have to come to terms with them, and that’s when even Liam has asked Theo, during the Anuk’ite, what was he doing saving Liam’s ass left and right.

If actions have worked for Theo, they sure as fuck can work for Nolan. If he doesn’t know which words to pick, he can always use the action card. But no, Nolan no, he doesn’t, he doesn’t anyway. He just waits and looks miserable, and reeks of guilt and regret, and it's making Liam crazy, even mad actually, because of how pathetic the other looks.

Just. Fucking. Say. Sorry!

“Liam!”

Corey’s voice abruptly pulls Liam out of his reveries, and he stops running his laps. The rest of the team has already stopped and is currently spread through the running track in different state of exhaustion. Some are hunched forwards, hands on their thighs, trying to breath, some are down on their knees.

Liam blushes. Lulled by the rhythmic sound of Nolan’s and Corey’s feet behind him, he’s started thinking and forgot to check if the rest of the team was following, completely failing to notice their struggle. Some captain, right?

Corey looks a bit out of breath, while Nolan just collapses forward, catching himself from falling face down on the ground only at the very last second.

Liam feels a spark of anger looking at the blond head tipped forward.

Talking didn’t come difficult to Nolan, when he was a little, hateful hunter spitting out Monroe’s poisonous words, did it? How come it has suddenly become so difficult now?

“Liam” Corey repeats, and Liam turns, catching his warning stare.

“Are you ok?” he asks, and Liam nods.

He turns to the rest of the team and shakes an arm high over his head, smiling ruefully.

“Sorry guys! I was thinking and… I forgot”

I forgot to slow down. I forgot you’re humans. Way to go, Liam, put your foot in your mouth, will you? Remind them you’re different.

A shrill whistle follows, and Liam winces, ears hurting.

“Dunbar! Why did you stop! I didn't tell you to stop! Don’t you think I had a damn reason if I didn’t tell you myself?” coach Finstock shouts.

“But coach”

“Shut up, Bryant! I didn’t say stop, did I? Then I must have had my reason, don’t you think? Do you know my reasons Dunbar? Do you, Bryant? No you don’t, that’s right, because you’re not the coach, I am”

Liam, at a loss, rubs a hand behind his neck.

“Sorry coach” he says.

“It’s not you the one who should be sorry, Dumbar!” coach shouts again.

“Dunbar” Liam mutters automatically, but coach promptly ignores him and turns to Nolan.

“Holloway! What the hell did I make you co-captain for, if you aren’t even capable to snap your fucking co-captain out of whatever supernatural reveries he’s lost in!”

Liam winces again. Half the team is looking at Nolan as if they’re asking themselves the same thing and they are ready to kill him for not stopping Liam. The other half is too busy trying to regain control over their breathing, Nolan included.

All in all, nobody seems to be giving a damn about acknowledging Liam’s superior, supernatural stamina. To Liam, it still feels new, but he likes it, this acceptance.

He rubs his head again, looking at his teammates.

“I’m sorr”

“No” Nolan raises his head and interrupts him. His cheeks are white and red with fatigue and embarrassment. His eyes are full of tears Liam is pretty sure he doesn’t even know they’ve gathered, and his own anger disappears the moment he smells their salty scent.

“No, I am sorry. I’m sorry, Liam”

Liam’s eyebrows shoot up so high they basically disappear.

“That’s what I’m talking about. Mr. Bryant! You’re substituting these two morons for the next half a hour. Team! You know the drills. Now, hop on! I don’t pay you to slack off!”

“You don’t pay us at all” a sarcastic, out of breath voice attempts.

“Shut it, Reeds! I pay you with glory! Now move on!”

Coach lowers his voice, meaning he stops shouting and speaks at a decent tone, glaring at Nolan in a not so slightly threatening way.

“You two solve this. Now. And if I see something remotely close to what I’ve had the displeasure to see last time, Mr. Holloway, so help me god”

“You won’t” Nolan promises, straightening up.

He reeks of guilt, regret and embarrassment, but there is also decision in the mix; Liam doesn’t even open his mouth, letting coach, of all people, and Nolan have this crazy moment confronting each other with these glares, one firm in his threat, the other in his promise.

Then coach nods and leaves, whistling and shouting at the team, who have already started the drills with Corey.

Liam doesn’t move. He doesn’t know what to do; Nolan is still looking at where coach was a moment ago, and he looks like he’s lost whatever resolve he had of facing Liam.

Liam is almost nauseous, so strong the reek of guilt and regret is coming off of him, again. But then he catches a new scent. Faint, coming from somewhere behind the bleachers. He looks that way and there he is, a certain, smirking asshole, in his usual, self-confident pose, slouched against the side of the bleachers.

He is too far, but Liam can guess the smirk on Theo’s face. He’s suddenly reminded of the last time Theo has similarly intervened, popping out of nowhere and helping Liam reigning in his IED-induced anger, before he maimed someone.

He can almost smell Gabe’s blood in the hair, on his hands. His anger vanishes instantly again, and he grimaces, torn between wanting to smile at the sneaky bastard and being sad about that memory – of any memory of Gabe.

Nolan, in the meantime, has found whatever words he was looking for.

“I should have said it sooner. I was a coward. I still am. If it wasn’t for coach… I wouldn’t be doing this” Nolan swallows and looks down.

It costs him a lot of effort but in the end he manages to put together enough courage and look at Liam in the eyes.

“I don’t even know how to ask your forgiveness. I’ve been trying to for a month at least, and I still don’t know if I… if that’s something I can ask. For you to forgive me”

Nolan looks down again, once he’s finished. Liam waits for almost an entire minute after that, but, when it’s clear that Nolan will not add another word, nor look up and meet Liam’s eyes again, he sighs, and breathes through his nose.

He swallows, thinking, I should be mad. I have the right to be mad. A bit, he still is, mad. Nolan has broken and shattered his nose, and it has been a bitch to heal. He’s responsible for Brett and Lori, in a way, and what happened at the police station. And that day in the old zoo…

But, Liam thinks, looking again in direction of the bleachers, maybe it’s time to stop expecting an act of atonement per each crime committed. Maybe he should just let this all go. Had Theo not intervened, how long would have Liam kept hitting the rocky wall, instead of Nolan?

“Nolan”

Nolan flinches and doesn’t look up.

Liam takes a step and gently, slowly touches Nolan’s wrist, just the tip of his fingers brushing his skin. Nolan startles, and Liam tries to ignore how much Nolan was expecting to be hit. He tries to ignore how hurt he feels, ignore the anger that mounts in if he thinks too much about Nolan expecting Liam to do the same thing he and Gabe have once done to him.

“Go on, little wolf” says a voice, the encouragement whispered and carried by the wind.

“Nolan, it’s ok. Let’s not talk about this anymore”

Nolan’s head shoots up, face screwed up in disbelief, eyes wide.

“How can you say that? After what I’ve… at the station, and I.. I’ve punched you until you were choking on your blood”

“And I’ve almost clawed your head off. As I said, let’s not talk about this anymore” he repeats.

Nolan gapes. Liam doesn’t need werewolf senses to detect his surprise, the way he’s left speechless is a giant enough hint. And it’s a good thing, Liam thinks. Nolan is right, he has something he has to apologize for, but it’s good that he thinks his is such a terrible crime that he can’t imagine being forgiven. Better this stupid state of denial than arrogance, Liam guesses.

Although, yes, not to downplay Nolan’s faults, but, the pack is currently in the process of forgiving worse.

He smirks slightly, putting up a seraphic expression of nonchalance.

“We’ve forgiven people who’ve done worse things to us”

The scent from the bleachers changes instantly, the wind carrying the spike of different hues whirling and shifting impressively fast. Guilt, anger, regret, betrayal, amusement, back to guilt, fondness.

When Liam looks again in that direction, he’s not surprised to see Theo isn’t there anymore. He’s more surprised having just had the proof of how good he’s become at scenting emotions.

Xxxxx

Later on, that day, they have another pack meeting.

Liam arrives with Mason and Corey, hair still damp from the shower and jeans stuck to where his skin wasn’t dry enough yet when he’s worn them.

Scott is alone on the sofa with Malia, Lydia and Stiles having already left. Scott looks worried, and he’s following, without interrupting, the discussion between his mother and the sheriff, both sitting at the table. That’s when Liam realizes that Derek and Argent are missing.

Corey and Mason take the loveseat, while Liam sits as usual on his spot on the plush carpet, very close to Scott’s legs. Maybe it looks childish, but he likes to be close to him, and he find that, staying close to Scott, he can detect a lot of the stares the alpha gets, which helps Liam figure out what people think when they look at and talk with Scott.

There is a knock on the door and Parrish enters, followed close by Theo. Parrish takes a seat on the chair close to the sheriff, but Theo hesitates. He and Liam make eye contact, and Liam kips his head imperceptibly in direction of the empty spot next to him.

Theo has once again his neutral mask on. It’s something he often does at pack meetings, but Liam hates it. Hearing Theo’s heartbeat, schooled into a calm rhythm and knowing it’s a lie, that even his neutral, calm scent is all the chimera keeping everything under his steel control… well, Liam doesn’t like it.

“Theo, come here” Scott calls.

He looks nervous, and Theo looks at him, surprise filtering through his mask at being called close to Scott. It’s not that Scott doesn’t talk to him or count on him, but… He has, logically, kind of kept Theo physically distant from himself. Now, though, calling him to sit close to him… Scott is even pointing at the empty seat on the sofa.

Theo sits on the carpet, next to Liam, very close to Scott’s legs.

Malia rolls her eyes, and Liam wonders why. She must be annoyed that her boyfriend wants to have Theo so close. Theo, whose claws…

Well. Ok, maybe Liam sort of understands.

Scott calls for silence and looks between Parrish and Theo.

“Which one of you wants to start?”

Theo shrugs, looking at Parrish. Parrish nods as if to say, you do it. So Theo starts explaining to the rest of the pack about the second body, what they found out, what they’ve learned from the visit to the family of the victim.

“I didn’t even think succubi existed” Mason comments.

“If it’s in the lore, it probably does” Theo says.

They talk about the possibility it’s a ritual, what it could be for. Then Parrish brings up the possibility there is a hunter behind it, maybe even Monroe or one of hers, staging all this.

They don’t reach any particularly enlightening conclusion and, in the end, Liam asks to be assigned patrolling the preserve again.

Scott nods. He looks at Theo, expression eloquent despite the lack of words. The chimera nods back.

Malia sighs. Liam isn’t sure he has understood why. She looks like she doesn’t like what she sees, but she’s going along with it anyway.

Liam wonders what is exactly she sees.

Xxxxx

Theo and Liam don’t talk. They spend the drive in Theo’s car to the preserve in silence. It’s not unpleasant, just unusual. It’s like Liam, with his previous bout of intimacy, has shaken the usual ground they normally move on, and they are still figuring out what to do, what to say.

They park and start walking the usual path, still in silence. Then Liam smirks and starts running. He can hear Theo snort and mutter something, before sprinting to catch up. When he turns, Theo has caught up with him and is smiling back.

They head for the Nemeton. There is a small clearing nearby, where it’s nice to lay down on the chilly grass and look up at the sky. It’s already dark enough they can see the stars. Liam lies down on his back, Theo sliding against the bark of the tree and sitting at its bottom, Liam’s head close to Theo’s feet.

“Thanks” Liam says at some point.

He hopes he doesn’t need to provide more context. He gets a fraction of the emotional turmoil that must be going on inside Theo, but it’s quickly smothered ruthlessly under the usual, calm and collected façade.

Liam rolls his eyes, annoyed.

“Will you stop doing that? Since when do you hide what you feel around me?”

Theo scoffs, kicking close to Liam’s head and knowing Liam will, as he does, dodge.

“You do realize that’s exactly what I’ve always done since we met, right?”

“Alright, be sarcastic. Very mature” Liam snorts, rolling on his stomach. He looks up at Theo, fixing him with an annoyed and slightly frustrated glare.

Unimpressed, Theo just wiggles his eyebrows, as if to egg him on to do whatever. Liam snorts and darts forward with a hand, trying to grab his ankle. Theo is faster, bends his knee to his chest, away from Liam.

Liam snarls and goes for the other ankles, getting up on his knees. Theo dodges again and shoves him back down.

“Knock it off!”

“You knock it off!”

“You started!”

It ends with Theo’s nose broken again, Liam on his back, his shirt ripped and bloody from where Theo’s claws have caught the skin of his chest. Theo pins him down, grinning in victory.

“Yield”

Liam snarls and pushes on his feet, rolling them over and tackling Theo. He gets another scratch on his cheek before he manages, but at least he has the satisfaction of being the one pinning the other down. He’s sitting astride the chimera’s chest, pushing his wrist down to the ground and keeping his legs in place with his knees. Theo wiggles and shoves, but it’s pointless.

Liam gloats and smiles.

He bends over, about to tell him no, you yield now, when a drop of his blood falls from the small gash on his cheek and lands on Theo’s face, very close to his mouth.

Liam’s smile freezes, Theo stops moving. They hold each other’s gaze, suddenly serious once again.

Liam swallows.

“Thank you” he repeats. A whisper.

Theo shakes his head to the side, eyes closed.

“You shouldn’t” he whispers back.

“Thanking you?” Liam asks, frowning.

He lets go of Theo’s wrist, sitting up, but the other doesn’t move, doesn’t open his eyes. He looks in pain, if Liam isn’t getting this wrong.

“Forgiving me” Theo answers.

That's when green eyes open and Theo turns his head slowly, meeting Liam’s eyes. There are too many emotions twirling in them, and Liam is lost, unable to pin one down. He swallows, not knowing what to say, so he doesn’t say anything.

He uses the cuff of his sweater to wipe the blood from Theo’s face, then gets up. 

“Let’s go check the Nemeton” he suggests, offering one hand to Theo.

Theo accepts it and hoists himself up.

Xxxxx

They don’t have much ground to cover, being very close to the stump of the Nemeton tree. They walk in silence, still a bit unsettled by that second moment of intimacy, still not even fully recovered from the first.

They’re not used to share this much, and it’s difficult to find again a neutral ground.

That’s when they see them.

Theo sees them first, and freezes, stopping in his tracks. He’s surprised and immediately starts thinking if they’ve seen him and Liam, not too far from there, only a few minutes ago. Liam, on the other hand, knows why they are here, as soon as he stops, sees them and gets a whiff of their scents.

Corey could smell them, yes, but they’re against wind and he’s too shaken, both things on which Liam counts on; he grabs Theo’ wrist and finds a good tree behind which they can hide.

Mason and Corey walk away, hand in hand, unaware. When they’re far enough, Theo leaves their hiding spot and looks at Liam with a frown.

“What were they doing here?”

Liam doesn’t answer.

If he lied, Theo would know. But this… this is difficult, and he really doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t even want to lie, but he’s not sure now it would be a good moment to let Theo in on this secret.

“You know, don’t you Liam” Theo insists.

Liam sighs and walks away from their tree. Theo follows him.

It should be Corey doing this, or Scott. Once Theo has been officially forgiven. Instead, instead, if Liam does it now… but will they ever trust Theo not to be lying? Will he ever trust Theo not to be faking this quest for forgiveness?

“Liam” Theo demands.

“I do” Liam answers. He stops and turns to look straight into Theo’s eyes.

Theo isn’t wearing any mask now, he’s not bothering with it. Liam appreciates.

“Are you sure you want to know?” he asks, serious.

Theo is smart. He has always been cynical and smart, and then he has been engineered into smarter than smart, so Liam knows that something starts working, something clicks into places as soon as he hears Liam using that tone. He can see it in the way Theo pales slightly, his jaw clenching and shoulders squaring. Theo goes back to the mask of neutrality, but Liam doesn’t find it disturbing now.

That Theo wants to look in control, when his chemical signals are all over the place and there is nothing he can do to reign them in, is probably something that Liam can understand, and he can concede him.

Still, you reap what you sow, right? No matter if you want, or get, forgiveness in between. This is something Theo has done, and he can ask to be forgiven but he will always have to face what he’s done, after all. This is part of who he is, or was, has been.

Theo doesn’t say a word, just nods, and Liam turns and starts walking, silent.

In the deep of the woods there is a big log. It’s not really a log, it’s the stump of an old tree, one that has always been there but has been cut down in 1943. Around it, some time ago, not too much, a hellhound has buried some bodies. Some of them Theo has dug out and brought back to life.

Afterwards, he’s taken that life away from them, again, and the pack has put the bodies back to where they were buried the first time.

Liam stops by the two makeshift graves, the ones that Corey visits almost every day.

One is for Josh, one is for Tracy.

Theo walks until he’s standing between them, then he crumples down, on his knees.

It’s not the scent of guilt and regret that kills Liam inside, making him start to cry. It’s the salty scent of tears.

Not his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loooong chapter. Hopefully not too long. I apologize for any typos, will correct the more I re-read it. 
> 
> This is where I have to thank Eneiryu the most. Without you, I'm nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That body count doesn't want to stop, does it.

The feeling hits him like a punch in the gut. Only, a punch in the gut is something he’s used to: this crazy amount of regret, guilt and self-loathing avalanching on his shoulders isn’t.

Liam looks at him with grave eyes and that almost pitying expression, and that’s when Theo starts suspecting where this is going. He follows the younger boy walking silently behind him, until Liam stops by two graves.

Two piles of rocks, barely half a meter high, with two pictures stuck somewhere close to the top and secured in the least professional way.

But it’s more than Theo has done, isn’t it? Better than leaving their dead bodies on the dirty floor of some sewer duct.

The air fails him. Oxygen stops flowing in his lungs and he sags forward. He doesn’t realize he’s fallen on his knees and his kneecaps feel no pain.

Is he crying? He hopes he’s crying. He hopes he has the decency of crying. Although really, why should he? He’s beyond saving. There is no redeeming now: he’s a monster, and monster don’t cry over spilled milk, let alone dead people they were responsible for, whom they betrayed and murdered.

Yes, he’s crying.

He claws the grass and keeps his head low. He’s not worthy of watching those pictures. He shouldn’t, really. He shouldn’t even be here at all. These graves are his fault. The bodies inside are dead because of him.

He wishes he had one of his usual, cynical streaks right now, that could help getting rid of at least some of this pain. Kill some regret like he’s killed these people.

Why did he kill them?

Because it was part of the plan. The plan that hasn’t worked. The plan that failed, costed him the lives of everyone on his side and then even his own.

But he’s done it because it was part of the plan.

It was part of the plan!

Why does he have to even feel this pain, this guilt, why does he have to regret what he’s done?

A flash of anger towards Scott and Liam. It’s their fault Theo’s plan didn’t work, their fault, if now people are dead in vain! If it hasn’t been for Scott, Liam and Stiles, then the people Theo had killed would have died for a reason!

Except, what reason would have it been? That they had stood on the path Theo intended to pursue to gain freedom, the path that would enable him to finally stop depending from the Dread Doctors?

Theo would still be a murderer, even for a debatably right cause. The reason, this purpose, they don’t justify their death. And Theo knows. He has always known.

Theo has always been wrong. He’s always been evil, bad, dirty and twisted. It’s what Tara used to say, didn’t she? She used to say it so often, at some point he decided he would be better off embracing it, bad and twisted and evil. If it was his nature, why deny it? He thought, if this is who I am, what I am, then I can be a somebody despite, because, even thanks to this bad and twisted nature.

The Doctors told him, we need evil, and Theo thought he could be evil. If he was so terrible at being good, why not try that instead?

Except that has been a terrible idea. Theo has let them erase any trace of good in him, everything resembling innocence, only for them to tell him later on that, even so, he was still not enough. And god, Theo has always hated being not enough…

Even to the doctors he’d been of no use, a nobody, a nothing: to be the greatest evil you need to corrupt good. But there was no good left in Theo, and so Theo couldn’t be used for the plan of resurrecting the Beast. They stopped treating him like some next prince of darkness and started treating him like a lackey, a hitman.

That’s when Theo realized he needed out. He needed out, before the Doctors decided to dispose of him, like every other chimera they deemed a failure. He did everything not to be called one, and barely managed. He became even more ruthless and started working on his own plans to secure his survival, but, to do so, the only way was become even worse than what he had already become.

He hadn’t worried too much, because, he had been bad and evil all his life. What else could he ever be? It wasn’t like he had any alternatives, really: the only way out for someone who only knew evil was becoming worse, not better. So he killed and murdered, lied and betrayed, but even that led him to nothing. The only thing he has earned was hell.

A hell where Tara wouldn’t mock him, fondly call him her own little, evil monster of a younger brother. Tara didn’t smile in hell, didn’t ruffle his hair. She ripped his heart out and looked at him with hate. At the true monster he’s become, the first step of a process started with stealing her heart.

How can he think about forgiveness now? How can he even dream of ever being able to atone? He’s on his knees in front of Josh and Tracy’s graves and he knows he should never be forgiven – if there is the smallest lick of justice in this world, he shouldn’t be forgiven.

A thought flashes in his mind, unbidden, again. If bad is the only thing he knows, should he still be that? Has he ever stopped, really?

Should he kill Liam? Should he turn and sink his claws in Liam’s tender, exposed throat? He would never see it coming, never protect himself on time. He doesn’t expect Theo to attack him, anymore.

Theo is horrified of his own brain. He feels nauseous, so sick of himself he is.

What, hasn’t he done enough bad already? Does he need more?

But then again, isn’t bad the only thing he can be?

He closes his eyes. He doesn’t remember closing them the first time or reopening them, but clearly he must have had. He’s losing control of what is happening. He tries to focus on his own chemical signals, his heartbeat, but there is too much to rein in. So he focuses on the only other person in the clearing: Liam.

Liam is there, still there, and he’s crying. Theo knows Liam isn’t crying for Josh and Tracy.

‘He’s crying for me’ he realizes.

It strikes him like lightning, more than those how many joules the Hauptmann has shot through him some months ago. Liam is crying for Theo, for the pain he knows, he feels Theo is feeling. Liam is standing there, waiting patiently and silently in the back, respectful of Theo’s pain.

Even if Theo is responsible for the death of the two people lying in these graves. Why, how can Liam stay, wait, even do Theo the kindness of leaving him respectful privacy? Theo can’t change. Or can he? Is this why Liam is still here? But if Theo can, can he really stop being bad? Forever? Does he even know how to live without being a murderer?

The anger in him has dimmed, but he still wants to turn to Liam. Not to harm him now, but to demand that he never forgive Theo. Never forget what he has done, to the people under those rocks and Liam himself. For Liam’s own sake.

Theo thinks he would like to try and be something different, if only because being bad didn’t really do him any good. But he doesn’t know how. Soon or later, he’s bound to screw up.

He stops crying and uses the sleeve of his jacket to wipe his face. His shoulders are still shaken by the soft trembling crying brings, jaw clenching and unclenching, his teeth clattering softly in a rhythm he knows Liam is tracking. It takes Theo a moment to regain at least partial control over all of that. He has to focus for an entire, long minute before he can swallow a lungful of air and breathe in a way that can vaguely be considered normal.

His throat feels like sandpaper when he clears it, and it takes him four attempts before his voice, hoarse and a broken whisper, comes out.

“Don’t forgive me” he tells Liam. Half a order, half a prayer.

He wishes to be forgiven. Right now, there is nothing that he longs more for, he needs it desperately, but it has also never been this clear how little he deserves it.

He doesn’t deserve forgiveness, at all.

Most importantly, he needs to keep Liam safe. Theo knows he isn’t safe for Liam. He needs to make sure that Liam will maybe trust him, yes, but never forgetting what he has done. Because, if Liam remembers what Theo has done, Theo can hope Liam will also keep his guard up around him. At least a little.

‘I don’t know how to be good. Don’t trust me. Soon the time will come when I will rationalize all this and stop even wanting your forgiveness. I’ll go back being the monster I have never stopped being. So use me now, use me if you must. I’ll protect you if you ask me to. I’ll take other bullets for you. But do not trust me’

He prays in silence, words he needs to say but can’t. He probably should have tried harder, because he can smell Liam’s discomfort, catching the spike of it in his scent. He almost sighs, in fond exasperation, but also fear.

“You’re different” Liam replies, his voice soft like Theo has rarely heard it, but very firm nonetheless.

Theo shakes his head no.

“I don’t know how to be different” he admits honestly, whispering air out of his too dry throat.

Don’t trust me, little wolf. I will end up with your blood on my hands.

In front of him, the graves are a memento. You are not good, you will never be good, they are telling him. This is what you wanted for Scott. This is what you have almost done to a good, true alpha. This is what you might do to Liam, too.

Behind him, Liam fidgets again. Theo closes his eyes, silently rolling them upwards and looking at the dark night sky above them.

God, he asks. If you even exist, why did you have to make Liam Dunbar so fucking stubborn? I’m trying to protect him. From myself. Why can’t he see that?

“You are already doing it. Theo, you have been different since you’ve come back” Liam protests.

Theo sighs.

How come Liam has suddenly mastered the art of sounding that reasonable? Theo has never heard the younger, angry boy sound this rational, didn’t even know he was even able to sound this calm and persuasive at the same time.

“Liam. I don’t know how. Believe me. Don’t expect this to last. Don’t trust me. Don’t… don’t forgive me”

‘I want to protect you, now, even from myself, but one day I will stop, I'll decide I'll be too tired of trying and I'll make another plan to murder you. And I will use your faith in me, your inability not to trust me against you. Please, Liam. Listen to me’

“So you’re learning how to be” Liam insists, and it sets off a spark on anger in Theo’s chest.

He turns, scowling at him, and he almost loses his resolve when he sees Liam, standing there, looking taller than he is, quiet and so strong. Like a young, blond divinity come to judge him.

Clearly, judging wrong.

“I’m trying to protect you” Theo spits out, with a terrible amount of effort.

“I don’t need protection. Not from you. You’ve already tried hurting me, and it hasn’t worked. Has it?” Liam imperceptibly raises his voice, daring him to contradict his words.

Theo almost doesn’t want to believe what he’s hearing, and raises his voice considerably, much more than what Liam has done in his sarcastic comment.

“Have you forgotten half the shit I’ve done? To you? To your pack? To mine?!” he gestures with an outstretched arm, pointing it in direction of the graves.

Liam shakes his head, still so calm, in a way that almost gives Theo the creeps. What’s with this calm and confident Liam, where has the angry boy gone? And why does he have to sound so sure of what he’s saying, why does he have to sound so convincing, why does he have to tempt Theo so much into believing him?

“I could never. And I will never. But you have changed. It’s undeniable. You are different now”

Theo opens his mouth, ready to yell anything in frustration, but Liam’s eyes drain him of any energy, pinning him to the ground with a grave intensity that makes Theo feel even more conscious of kneeling in the dirt, like a sinner in church during confession. He swallows. The beta Theo has tried to turn against his own alpha stands looking tall and solid, stronger than a statue or the storm raging in those blue eyes, firm in his conviction, imposing. Sacred.

Theo looks back at the graves, Adam’s apple bobbing while he tries desperately to regain control of his breathing. Liam is acknowledging Theo’s past. That is good. It’s good, right? It means he knows Theo can, potentially, be bad news also in the future. But he has also brought up a present that Theo himself doesn’t see, hasn’t seen so far, wouldn’t even believe possible. He sees changes that Theo doesn’t believe he’s actually able to make. But maybe Theo simply isn’t objective enough to see?

Maybe he should trust Liam, trust what he sees. Can he, can he trust Liam? And what happens if Liam is wrong?

Liam, young, blond god judging his soul. The same soul That has always been sure he didn’t even have, so no risk ruining it or staining it permanently, if you don’t have it, right?

The way Liam is looking at him now, it makes Theo feel like he’s finally been given one. Or maybe just started cleaning the one he’s always had, all along.

He swallows. Liam makes to turn back in direction of the Nemeton. Theo’s eyes shoot wide for the fraction of a second. Right, they still have to check the area.

“Come” Liam calls him, walking away.

Theo hesitates. He casts another glance at the graves. He wants to apologize, but, how can he? He’s not even sure he will live long enough to make it up for what he’s done.

He stands up and follows Liam.

Xxxxx

They have only started walking together, Theo having caught up with Liam barely a moment prior, when they’re hit with the strong, itchy feeling that magic gives them.

They share a nervous, worried look and run to the Nemeton. They can sense a heavy blanket of magic dissipating, like a barrier lifting and releasing its content all of a sudden, and they almost stop breathing by the amount of fear that assaults them. Fear, faint smell of too little blood, animal and human, not enough to justify death, the scent of fur.

“Fuck!” Theo swears, seeing two bodies lying too still and too close to the Nemeton.

“How the fuck have we not smelt it!” Liam exclaims in desperate frustration.

Theo vaguely registers the anger mounting in the younger boy. He definitely doesn’t look ethereal and god-like anymore, and honestly, Theo might be selfish but he prefers it this way. This is the Liam he knows: human, mortal. Normal.

Theo kneels between the two bodies, back to his usual self: calm, in control, mind cold enough to take in every detail. The human is a man, tall and bulky, looking in his thirties. He must be taller than the average man of his age, and his shoulders are impressively wide, but he doesn’t look like a frequent visitor of gyms. And he smells supernatural.

There is a black furred bear cub very close to him, so much that it appears as the man was hugging him close to his chest when he died, when the cub’s body has rolled out of his grasp. Probably he was trying to take it somewhere safe. Well, safer. But then collapsed himself.

Theo sighs.

“They died the same way, in fear” he observes: “like the girls. I was half expecting another woman” he adds, muttering, and shakes his head.

He sits back on his heels and looks up at Liam. Who is, predictably, livid with anger. He is clenching his fists, his claws digging deeply into his palms, enough that they draw blood. The droplets run down the hands and are waiting to fall.

Theo sighs again. He feels tired, hollow and empty, he wonders if this is what a revelation added to a breakdown feel like. He calls Liam’s name, eyes trained on the boy’s hands. The fists unclench, the droplets falling on the ground. Theo raises his eyes and sees the way the other is still biting at the inside of his lower lip. He’s going to have it bleeding as well, Theo considers, but doesn’t call him on it. The chemical signals he gets from the boy and the way he’s looking at the bodies are sufficient hints telling Theo to let Liam maim his own body, a little, if it helps with the anger.

Theo breathes through his nose, looking up from his kneeling place with calm and, as much as he can, reassurance.

“Whoever performs the ritual, they cover their tracks with magic. That’s why we didn’t notice. They keep it all wrapped up with the barrier we felt as it was lifted, until it’s done, or probably until they are far enough for us to track them”

Liam swallows. He is struggling to keep the anger in, and Theo appreciates the effort. Had he not had that moment of crisis a few minutes before, he wouldn’t feel like he owed something to Liam now, and he would probably comment on how much work Liam still needs to do with his anger. Now, though, he feels too much like he needs to repay a debt, so he shuts up, and mentally takes note to help working on that, together, later. In the future.

“I know you will not like to hear this, but I’m telling you anyway. We knew the chances to keep this from happening were close to nonexistent. Which is unfortunate, and … I’m not saying I like it” he sighs, twisting his lips down.

“The only good thing is that at least now we know something more about the ritual”

Liam’s eyes flash in anger.

“Good? You call this good?”

“No, Liam” Theo answers, reasonable and firm: “I said this is unfortunate. I said the only good thing is that we know this guy is using a magic barrier. Which means that he’s not playing around with magic, he knows his way with it”

Liam snarls.

“How can you talk about good things! They’re dead!”

“Yes, I see that they are dead! And they died afraid, just like Aileen and Alexis, but, at least this time they could comfort each other, even while they were dying!” he replies, pinning Liam with an unyielding, hard glare and pointing at the bodies.

Liam frowns and asks what he means.

“This man was a werebear” Theo explains.

Liam’s anger deflates instantly, replaced with sorrow and sympathy. Then he widens his eyes in horror at the cub and looks at Theo, almost in panic.

“He… The cub, is it, was it a werebear child?”

Theo shakes his head, smiling softly, and explains that in that case it would have shifted back to human. Liam murmurs a small ‘oh’, soft and somber, no longer horrified but still understandably sad. They both look at the bodies with rueful expressions.

“Still. Another victim. This isn’t fair” Liam softly comments.

“No” Theo agrees: “It isn’t”

Xxxx

Liam calls Scott. He arrives with the sheriff and Parrish in tail.

Liam looks at them but doesn’t speak, doesn’t smile in greeting, doesn’t do anything. He looks sad, tired, very, very young. Theo feels guilty for not having done so to keep him from seeing the third pair of victims.

Liam watches the four of them, moving close to the bodies and talking, Theo pointing out details and explaining, Parrish and the Sheriff already calling back up, all the while smelling terribly sad and disappointed. Theo catches that hue in the boy’s scent and it’s like a stab in the chest. Because he knows why Liam feels disappointment, of all things. Liam, more than Scott, has hoped they could keep the third kill from happening. He must feel played, frustrated, and also guilty. They were so close, after all.

To Theo, that Liam feels guilty is even a deeper stab. He feels like he has contributed leading Liam on, not telling him clearly how objectively unlikely it was that they could save someone this time. And if Liam feels guilty for wasting time, for not noticing… well, Theo is the main reason why Liam didn’t, beside the barrier itself. Theo is what has kept Liam away from the Nemeton. If he hadn’t insisted in knowing why Corey and Mason were there, then they would have reached the Nemeton earlier. The barrier of magic would have still been in place, but they could have at least seen the performer.

Maybe.

Or maybe not, and Theo should know better than letting regret fog his judgement.

Scott asks Liam if he’s alright, already knowing he isn’t. Liam shakes his head no, surprisingly honest, and dives head first into his alpha’s chest. Scott is initially too taken aback by the almost childish move and it takes him a couple of seconds, but then he envelops Liam in the hug he’s begging for. It makes Theo feel cold, and even the sheriff and Parrish are shaken.

Scott drives Liam home. It’s Scott that brings it up, asking Theo if he’s ok with it. Theo just nods, wondering why Liam’s alpha turns to him for that question. As if he needed permission from Theo.

He watches the two of them leave. The sheriff calls other people, Parrish assisting him. Theo slips away unnoticed and walks back to his truck, but when he’s there he opens the door and hesitates.

He looks up. The moon is hiding behind clouds, tonight.

He sheds his clothes and shoes, piling them on the front seat; he slams the door back closed and shifts. He runs until his chest and legs hurt, with no direction. He just runs. Then he trots in direction of the graves, falling asleep between them.

A black wolf watching two graves. If only truth was this simple, and he really was just a black wolf guarding two graves, instead of the monster who killed two teenagers.

One of them, while she was still kissing him.

Xxxxx

The morning after, Theo wakes up still in the clearing with Josh and Tracey’s graves. He yawns and gets up, hind legs first then front, and shakes his fur to get rid of dead leaves, pine needles, droplets of dew.

He hesitates, looking at the graves, then headbutts them, as if to say, I can’t apologize after what I’ve done to you. I’m leaving now, but I’m going to come back.

He reaches his truck, shifts and quickly gets in. He trembles slightly for the cold in the vehicle, putting clothes on with jerky movements. He pulls at his muscles to undo the kinks and slips the key in the ignition. He’s barely started driving when his phone rings.

He picks it up. It’s the sheriff.

He takes the call, placing the phone where it’s easily in reach, and puts it on speaker.

“Theo, good morning” the deep, surly voice of sheriff Stilinski greets him.

“Morning, sheriff”

“Taking calls while you’re driving? Not a good move, Theo”

“You’re on speaker, sheriff, and I have two hands on my steering wheel” Theo replies, only a little bit grumpy, but nobody could blame him, he’s not had his morning coffee yet.

The sheriff grunts, someone else smothering a chuckle. Theo guesses it must be Parrish. “Anyway. I wanted to ask you to accompany deputy Parrish again. I need to be sure Mr. Wright’s fiancée doesn’t lie to us”

Theo frowns, eyes on the road.

“Whose fiancée now?”

Sheriff Stilinski sighs.

“You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you? You wouldn’t need to ask, if you had”

Theo almost blushes. Yes, he’s grown up with a bunch of sadistic, mad scientists but he needs coffee in the morning to wake up. That, or a good shot of adrenaline like the one that kicks in when you weak up in a life or dead situation. He’s about to admits that no, he hasn’t, but as if on cue he yawns massively, so much he almost loses sight of the road for a moment.

Parrish is definitely chuckling now, betting Theo hasn’t.

“The third victim you found yesterday. His name was Chris Wright, and I need you two to interrogate his fiancée” sheriff Stilinski explains.

Theo yawns again and decides against asking another time why him. It is curious, that the sheriff still wants him in for murder, but he asks for Theo’s help anyway; plus, it’s not like he has anything else to do, and he would like to contribute to solving this mystery.

“Fine. Parrish, where do I meet you?”

The deputy tells him to drive to the police station.

“We’ll drive with just one car. And we need to talk to you anyway. You can take a coffee here, I need you awake”

Theo snorts.

“That’s not something you’re going to achieve with the dirty water from the coffee machine of the station that you insist on calling coffee”

Parrish tells him a time and Theo agrees to that. Stilinski closes the conversation, but only after adding an almost surreal invitation that Theo drive safe. Theo looks at the phone in disbelief for a whole minute after the conversation has gone dead, which kind of contradicts the idea of driving safely, but, whatever.

He parks at the station. He’s locking the truck up when he notices his hair is extra ruffled and he looks a terrible mixture between what he would if he’d been up all night working… or being worked on. Like in a bed. In a sexual way. He walks in combing his hair with his hands, trying not to think about the way he’s blushing. Parrish and the sheriff are in the latter’s office, talking over a folder with some papers spread on top. They both frown at him when they see him.

“Yeah, I’m getting you that coffee” Parrish declares, promptly leaving the room, headed towards the coffee machine of the station.

“Wash your face, son. You look like you’ve pulled an all night” the sheriff says, voice surly and clashing completely with his concerned expression.

A bit unsettled at being called ‘son’ by someone who wants him in for murder, Theo obeys. He washes his face in the bathroom of the police station, splashing cold water on it. He uses some to tame his hair, not putting much faith in the effort. When he goes back in the sheriff’s office, Parrish is there, too, a fuming cup on the desk between them.

The sheriff points him in direction of one of the two chairs that face the desk. Theo slides past him and Parrish, both propped on the table, and sits. He is handed the cup, from which he drinks, only after smelling it for poison – a habit that always kicks in before he can help it. The men don’t comment on it. He takes a sip of horrible coffee and makes a face.

Sheriff Stilinski picks up the sheets and hands them to Theo.

“This is… all we have on this case”

He grimaces. He doesn’t have to add anything to that. It’s not much, and Theo knows. He mirrors Stilinski’s expression.

“Less than what I had hoped” he comments, placing the sheets on his thigh and picking one up.

“Yes, well. Hopefully you can provide us more information. We don’t know anything about the supernatural, after all” the sheriff goes on, looking pointedly at him.

Theo snorts. Somehow, he is becoming the station’s unofficial expert on this. The weirdest thing is that he even likes it.

“I could help, but not when magic is involved. I mean, I know about the supernatural, but magic is something I’ve never believed enough in”

The sheriff cocks an eyebrow at him, eloquently.

“I’m the product of engineering, before you say anything. And the existence of non-human species doesn’t justify magic” Theo anticipates.

He sips from his cup, skimming through the papers. One is about Aileen, one about Alexis, and both have enclosed reports from Deaton about the animals the victims were found with. The last page is half empty, hopefully to be filled with whatever information Theo and Parrish will find out. There is a picture, and Theo recognizes in it the man from the night before. There is a name, an age. Chris Wright, 30.

A succubus, Theo thinks, a nymph, a succubus, a werebear. He reasons that the werebear could be seen as a predator. Just like the succubus, the werebear takes after a carnivore animal, the bear. But somehow the pattern of a herbivore followed by two carnivore victims doesn’t sit well with Theo. Rituals usually need regular patters, so he was expecting another herbivore.

Unless the werebear is considered a mixture of both natures of the previous victims: werebears are protectors of nature, like the nymph, but have a carnivore, aggressive nature, like the succubus.

This all hoping that there even is a pattern, and the ritual doesn’t simply need bloodshed in general. He wishes they knew with more certainty.

“Can I write on these?”

The sheriff frowns, but hands him a pencil.

Theo writes down ‘nymph, protector, herbivore’ on Aileen’s profile. On Alexis’ he writes ‘succubus, predator, carnivore’. Then he stops, looks at the third picture, drumming the pencil against his thigh; after a moment of hesitation he writes ‘werebear, protector, carnivore’.

He is about to hand the papers back when he remembers a detail, and on the first two pages adds ‘gibbous moon’ and ‘no moon’ on the last. Then he gives papers and pencil back to the sheriff.

“Werebear?” Stilinski asks, sounding at the same time as if he’s never heard of that and why is he even surprised that something the like exists.

Theo nods.

“Wait. So the cub…” Parrish asks, paling and frowning in a horrified way that vividly reminds Theo of Liam the night before.

“It was a bear cub, not a werebear child” Theo explains.

Parrish relaxes, sighing in relief.

“It would have shifted back to human otherwise, right?” the sheriff asks.

Theo nods. The sheriff mimics the movement and reads Theo’s notes again. The question about werebears, Theo could have seen it coming even blind. Again he tries to give them a condensed but detailed explanation, once again lamenting in the privacy of his own mind the difficulty of doing so.

When he’s done, the sheriff sighs and nods.

“I’ll let you two leave now” he says, hoisting himself up from his desk.

Theo grabs the cup and follows Parrish out of the station. He swallows the last of its content before leaving and throws it away. Terrible, cold coffee. Nice way to prepare him to go talking with the family of a victim. Better than what he used to do, anyway, right?

He sits in the car and waits for Parrish to start it. He wants to ask about Chris Wright but feels oddly uncomfortable, the way the deputy is staring through the windshield, hands on the steering wheel, key between his fingers.

Theo quirks an eyebrow, and he’s about to make whatever comment to prod at him, when Parrish turns all of a sudden towards him.

“Did you even sleep at all tonight?”

Theo frowns. Then, because sometimes lying is easier and the best solution for everyone, he sighs and lies.

“Yes, mother”

Parrish can’t detect lies. Theo considers the idea of teaching him.

“Where” Parrish insists.

Ok, so maybe Parrish can’t detect a lie, but he’s not stupid.

“Why do you want to know? At my place. Which you know where it is, since the sheriff has demanded to know”

“Did you drive home?”

“Ye…es” Theo says, before catching himself.

Shit. They must have noticed his truck, unmoved the entire night. Parrish pins him with a glare full of judgement; thankfully to the fact he starts driving, at least it doesn’t last long.

“Do you want to reconsider that?”

Here we go, welcome sassy Jordan Parrish. And here Theo was, thinking his day couldn’t really get much worse with the way it started. Obviously, he shouldn’t have thought it. His bad luck must have felt it like a dare to prove him wrong.

He sighs, frustrated but trying to go for unaffected.

“Why do you care?”

“Because you’re my best shot at solving a case I have no chance at even figuring out” Parrish replies hotly: “I don’t know anything about the supernatural, and I depend on what you tell me. And here you are, lying to me, and you don’t leave me many choices, if you start lying again and I can’t even trust what you’re saying”

Theo doesn’t answer. Parrish is right, and he knows it. He sighs, this time giving in.

So much for lying making it easier to everybody, sometimes, uh?

“Fine. Alright. I was in the woods. I didn’t go back home at all” he admits, voice soft and neutral. He keeps his eyes trained on what’s on the other side of the windshield, but he doesn’t much much attention to it. He sags against the door and tries to make it more bored and nonchalant than the exhausted way he feels.

“What did you do?” Parrish asks, frowning. He sounds less and less inquisitive now, and more concerned. For Theo, this is a disturbing first time. The sheriff is giving enough mixed signals without Parrish taking after him.

“Run” he replied honestly.

The glance deputy Parrish throws him is one hundred percent disbelief; Theo doesn’t see it, eyes still frontward, but he feels it.

“All night? Where?”

“Around, in the woods. Look, I don’t know, ok? I just.. went” Theo tries and fails to explain, turning to him with a slightly exasperated look. This is very, very difficult to explain, and he guesses that being a hellhound Parrish doesn’t have the urge a wolf or coyote would have, to just run away from his own mind, sometime.

“… Shifted, I’m guessing” said hellhound adds, with a tad too much of skepticism for Theo’s taste.

He rolls his eyes and sags again against the door of the car.

“Yes. Look, you wouldn’t get it” he prays the deputy will let it go. He knows he sounds like a bratty teenager, but that’s exactly what Theo feels, in this moment. Well, a teenager. Not bratty.

Parrish doesn’t reply. The silence is a bit uncomfortable at first, but then it gets better. The deputy takes a turn into one of the streets taking to the last few houses before the preserve; lots of green around, the houses being very distant one from another… the perfect place to live, if you like to hang around naked or in the form of a giant, black bear, with nobody noticing.

“Look” Parrish says abruptly, and Theo almost winces.

“I know you can take care of yourself” he goes on, parking close to a big, white house surrounded by a huge garden.

“But we can consider your back history as the perfect proof that even you can screw up big time. So I’m going to say it anyway” and he turns, killing the engine and pinning Theo with his clear eyes.

At least he looks as uncomfortable as Theo feels, as he struggles for words.

“Are you ok?” the deputy asks, after a while.

Theo’s first instinct is, remarkably, not to lie. He doesn’t admit that no, he’s not fine, either. He just shrugs, and answers casually. With a controlled enough expression that Parrish knows better than to push.

“I’m dealing. I’m handling it”

The deputy doesn’t ask further questions. He just nods, mutter ‘good’ and that’s it, he moves on. Unfortunately for Theo, it’s not out of the car, but onto the next uncomfortable topic.

“If… I know you’re all grown up and shit. But, if you needed help. Promise me you will not lie, next time I ask you”

And the clear eyes of the hellhound deputy of Beacon Hills pin Theo once again, with a calm, neutral expression that’s just as fake as Theo’s own. They both know the other is acting, but they don’t call each other out on it. There is a part of Theo that is tempted to flip Jordan Parrish off and tell to mind his own business. But he doesn’t. A much bigger part of him kind of likes the idea that someone might be looking after him.

The angry part of his brain that wants to punch Parrish, deputy or not, reminds him of Liam, and thinking of Liam definitely deflates any anger in Theo. Even if he resents the tone Parrish used. The pity. The condescending stare. The sympathy.

The telling him to not lie about needing help. The desperately asking him not to lie at all, anymore. Please Theo, show me I can trust you, show me you’ve really changed, is the real question deputy Parrish is asking.

He doesn’t know how. Frustrated, Theo wishes he could scream it in the other’s face. But he thinks of Liam, of Liam saying that he is already changing. And he really, really wants to trust Liam. So he swallows, nods and whispers ok.

Parrish nods back, clearing his throat and thank god he finally opens that door of the fucking car.

“Let’s go”

Not like Theo is going to stop him.

Xxxxx

The house is a big, two-stories building with a second floor made entirely out of wood. The façade is white, the garden big and busy. There is a big vegetable patch, many flowers bushes. There are roses growing against the side of the house looking redder than blood against the white paint.

A woman comes out on the patio, smiling a sad smile in greeting. She’s hugging herself and her eyes are dry for too much crying, her face tired for too little sleep. Deputy Parrish stops at the bottom of the stairs, hesitating. The woman gasps a wet chuckle, eyes tearing up, and opens her arms. Theo waits a few steps away from the stairs, as Parrish all but catapults himself in the arms of the woman and squeezes her in a fierce hug.

“I’m so sorry, Darlene” he whispers against her hair.

She starts sobbing.

Embarrassed but wanting to give them what privacy he can, Theo turns halfway to the garden. The woman is very pretty, and she looks a bit younger than Chris Wright. She must be more or less the same age as Parrish, and they obviously know each other. She’s also tiny, only reaching up to the deputy’s shoulders. Theo can imagine what being hugged by massive Mr. Wright must have made her feel like.

Theo feels sorry for her.

The woman steps back, Parrish instantly giving her space. She wipes her face and smiles, blushing adorably; she looks up at the deputy blabbering something circumstantial like looking stupid. Theo’s never understood the point of these comments, but he can see now that focusing on anything else must help her. She just needs a distraction.

She looks beyond Parrish, catching Theo’s stare and smiles at him. He smiles back, not too bright but not too dim, the right kind of smile. The one he knows it will put her at ease.

“Please, come in. Let me offer you something. Can I offer you… coffee?” she looks like she’s trying to remember what’s the time and if coffee is something feasible for the hour. She also looks like she’s struggling to keep a grip on herself.

Parrish smiles warmly at her.

“I’m sure Theo would love that” he answers, and Theo nods along it.

“Of course, of course. Come on in” she says, preceding them into the house.

The big foyer is covered in wood and collages of pictures framed. Chris Wright and her; she looks even smaller, in his arms. She makes them sits in the living room, a big, bright room with a huge, comfy looking sofa, before disappearing into the kitchen. She busies herself with the routine of making coffee; Theo smells tears, followed by a bout of decision.

“Is she crying?” Parrish whispers, worried.

Theo is about to answer when she comes back in the room, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of coffee, a pot of sugar and a tall glass of water.

“Here, please. Theo, right?” she hands him the cup and he takes it, nodding and adding sugar.

“Here, Jordan. I know you always say no to coffee, but, something I must give you” she comments, handing the glass to Parrish. He smiles, blushing slightly behind the glass. She doesn’t notice, but Theo does. He is about to smirk to himself when he considers it’s not really the case, so he drinks a sip of coffee instead. He closes his eyes, sighing in pleasure at the heavenly taste that his tongue is experiencing.

The woman laughs.

“I’m happy you like it!”

Theo smiles bashfully, in a way that used to be one of his best tactics to get what he wanted. It’s weird, now, using it for the benefit of someone else.

She smiles again. She has a pretty smile. It’s a pity that her eyes fogs up with tears again. She closes them and lets the tears roll down. She still has that smile in place.

“I’m sorry” she whispers, blushing.

“Darlene…” Parrish starts, but he doesn’t know how to go on, and quickly casts a glance at Theo. He looks in pain, and he doesn’t know what to do.

Theo has an idea. He puts the cup down on the coffee table, reaching out to hold gently the woman’s hand. He intertwines their fingers and she opens her eyes, surprised. She looks even more surprised when she realizes it’s Theo, not Parrish, the one holding her hand.

Then Theo starts absorbing her pain, and her mouth makes a small ‘oh’ sound, eyes going wide as she watches the black lines slither up from their joined hands, up the uncovered portion of Theo’s arm.

“You’re… Are you a werebear too?” she asks, confused.

Theo shakes his head: “Something different. I’m a chimera” he explains, even if he suspects that she won’t know what it means. He’s right, but she still tries to let go of his hand, more concerned with the black lines of pain travelling up Theo’s arm.

“You don’t have to” she chides.

“I want to” he replies, honestly, and she smiles.

After a while she thanks him and he stops, letting go of her. She feels better, enough not to start crying again.

“Darlene, do you think I could ask you some questions, maybe?” Parrish tentatively asks, respectful and full of tact.

Theo goes back to his coffee. It’s gone cold now, but he doesn’t care. She swallows and nods.

“Yes. Especially if it helps… if it helps taking whoever has done this to Chris” she answers.

She tells them what she knows. The night before, her fiancé heard a bear cub cry in distress. It went on for a while, so at some point he told her he would go check. She got up too, having some water boil, expecting her fiancé to come back with an orphaned bear cub with a splintered paw. Instead, hours later it was Jordan Parrish, her old high school best friend, the one knocking at her door. 

At the end of her story she smiles and her eyes tear up again.

“We were supposed to get married in two weeks” she adds, and the tears start rolling even while she still smiles.

Theo makes to reach out but she stops him.

“You’re very kind, Theo, but this kind of pain… I have to learn to live with it”

Theo doesn’t reply.

Xxxxxx

They leave Darlene shortly after that. Parrish repeats his condolences once again and hugs her, even kisses her forehead. All this Theo doesn’t witness directly, because he’s already left and is waiting outside.

He and Parrish walk back together to the car in silence. Parrish starts driving and they still haven't said a word. Theo can interpret the hard lines on the deputy’s face without reading his chemical signals: Parrish is obviously in a bad mood.

“Does the sheriff know you know her?” he asks, after another while.

Parrish sighs, eyes still on the road. He leans with his elbow on the door at his left, and rubs his forehead with his open hand.

“He does”

“Then why did he send me with you?”

“She could have still lied to us. Just because the girl I went to school with was a good person, it doesn’t mean we could automatically trust who she is now. Just like we had to do with the families of the other victims”

Deputy Parrish looks grave and bitter when he answers, eyes pointedly trained on the road. Theo smirks, amused.

“Then I guess it will make you feel better knowing that she wasn’t lying at all. She’s completely innocent” he comments, dropping it casually. Parrish turns, looking at him almost alarmed, then redirects again his eyes to the road. After a while he turns again to Theo, and Theo shouldn’t find it funny, except it is. It’s like the deputy doesn’t want to allow himself to believe it. It’s also pretty obvious that Theo has understood that deputy Parrish has a terrible crush on Mr. Wright’s fiancée.

Half smirking, half smiling, Theo looks out of the windshield. He sits more comfortably in the seat, the image of Darlene smiling with her eyes closed and tears streaming down her cheeks coming back to him.

He grimaces.

“She was really in love” he can’t help but say.

Still looking frontward, Parrish swallows and nods.

Xxxxx

Parrish drops him at the station, then drives away. Theo gets his truck and makes it so far to put the key in the ignition when his phone rings. It’s Scott. Frowning, Theo takes the call.

“Hey Scott” he greets, carefully neutral.

“Hey Theo, how you doing?”

Hesitating a bit, Theo answers he’s fine, and tells him that he’s just been with Parrish to visit the family of the third victim.

“Oh. Good. How did that go?”

“…Fine. I mean, she’s innocent, but she’s also obviously broken” he answers, suddenly embarrassed.

“I can imagine that” Scott comments, and it doesn’t take any supernatural sense for Theo to figure out he’s thinking about Allison Argent.

“Yeah, anyway” Scott says, clearing his throat. He asks Theo if he’s busy for the next few hours.

“No, why?”

“Can you get to the high school? Liam was a bit… upset this morning, because of last night”

‘I can imagine’ Theo thinks, echoing Scott’s previous words.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Just keep an eye on him” Scott simply answers.

Theo sighs. It’s not like he hasn’t hanged around the school to do exactly the same thing lately, so, why not keep it up? He tells Scott he’ll go.

“Great, thank you! Oh, Derek is on his way back, he should make it to Beacon Hills between tonight and tomorrow, but we need a pack meeting today. We can’t wait till he’s here, I want to update the others already today”

Theo nods and makes a face, corners of his mouth pulled down. Why is Scott telling him, of all people?

“Sounds like a good idea” he comments, feeling stupid but not really knowing what else to say.

“Yeah, I hoped you would say that” Scott chuckles: “see you later then?”

“O…kay” so that means that Scott wants him to take part to the meeting. Which is good. Very good. Theo likes pack meetings, even if it’s probably pathetic to admit. Definitely it’s not something that justifies this awkward silence.

Please, let Scott not realize how embarrassed he feels.

“Great. See you later then. Thanks again!”

“Bye” Theo says, but the line has already gone dead.

Xxxxx

Theo drives home, showers and changes. Having a place to call home is still new to him, even if this is far from the first time he's squatted into an empty apartment. 

The sheriff hasn't liked it at first, but, contrarily to Theo's expectations, he hasn't evicted him. Probably he likes the idea of Theo squatting into an empty house better than having him sleep in his car, randomly parked in a shady corner somewhere in Beacon Hills. 

Theo's not sure how long it will take for the energy and water companies to figure out nobody is paying for what they're providing him, but, till it works, it's a nice solution.

He has a roof, running water, electricity, even furnitures. The master bed is one of the softest thing in earth.

He's never taken someone here, and he doesn't intend to, ever. On the walls there still are too many pictures of a smiling family, with a dog. The faces are happy, the scent of the dog all but vanished, like his owners'. It makes Theo feel like a creep, an intruder, but it also illudes him of being part of something. Which is creepy and pathetic, yes.

He hasn't disposed of anything that is in the house, moving the less possible: when he has, it has been mainly for defence and security reasons. Some of the trinkets on the shelves he has even put into boxes, protected them by carefully wrapping each in newspaper sheets, to shelter them from dust.

The first day he's slipped in, the house still smelled like life, happiness and a happy future. It also smelled of werecoyotes and the recent fear that must have wrecked their last days here. Some personal effects are missing. Theo likes to think it's because they've made it out, before the breaking out of the war.

He's late. When he arrives at the school, Liam is already out, having practice. Theo sits in the shadows of the bleachers and sets to spend the next hours watching.

Xxxxx

Liam is doing his usual drills when he smells him. 

He stops in his tracks, smiling dumbly at the two teammates in front of him, and turns to the bleachers. He snorts and shakes his head, getting back to the drills with renewed focus and energy.

"That's it Dunbar! This is what I've been talking about!" Coach shouts, grinning like a mad man.

"I was waiting for you" Liam whispers, eyes on his stick and knowing Theo will hear.

Reeds quirks an eyebrow at him. Liam blushes and shrugs, as if to say, don't mind me. Reeds makes a face and nods wisely.

"I guess you're not really talking to your stick. Or me" he observes, neutrally.

Liam, still blushing, smiles and shakes his head no. From the bleachers he can hear Theo snicker.

"Right" Reeds comments, as if he's asking himself why he lets these things surprise him.

"I'm going to leave you with your stick then. Or your boyfriend hiding in the bleachers"

Liam blushes furiously.

Reeds walks away casually, pretending he doesn't know he could bet, and win, that Liam is getting the shade of a tomato, Theo coughing furiously, embarrassed even if he's laughing, and Corey is rolling his eyes so hard he almost hurts himself. 

"Supernaturals. Ah!" the human boy scoffs and mutters, fixing his helmet and scowling at the grass.

"Should have expected them to be super drama queens, too"

Theo laughs so hard, even Reeds catches the sound of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter. Looong one! I apologise in advance for the typos. I will reread this in the next few days. 
> 
> Sixth chapter is already on the way.
> 
> Oh, sorry for the angst. But, well. It's kind of required.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is another body. Just not the way they expected.

Theo waits that Liam is done with practice. He lies on his back on one of the benches of the bleachers – Liam’s teammates have already acknowledged Theo’s presence and even coach Finstock doesn’t seem to mind. No point in lurking in a relatively hidden spot, when he can sprawl comfortably here.

He has nodded to Mason and Corey when they have waived his way. They didn’t seem to mind either. Corey is busy on the field, Mason waits sitting very close to coach and the few, extremely few team members resting on the bench. Theo just looks at the sky, head resting on his intertwined fingers, waiting. Liam usually showers here at school, given how much he sweats, so Theo knows he has to take into account also the time for that.

‘With all the running around he does, it’s hardly a surprise’ Theo thinks.

He smirks goodhumoredly to the sky: he’s no sport expert, he barely even knows the rules of lacrosse, so he can hardly judge. All his physical exercise has come in the form of the very deadly, dangerous and draining fight training the Doctors have given him. Still, he has seen Liam practice enough times that he can express an objective judgement on the entire team. And that judgment is not positive: they are extremely inefficient. Even Liam himself wastes a lot of energies running in a very unorganized way.

Theo thinks he understands coach Finstock, although that doesn’t bide well for him, because it means that either Theo is crazy, too, or coach has had an interesting life before committing to education.

He smells Liam, the scent of his bodywash, that he uses as well as shampoo when he showers at school to save time. He closes his eyes, focusing on the sound of his steps: the younger boy walks on the concrete path that leads to the bleachers, Theo listening to his body. His heartbeat, his steps. The way he shakes a shoulder – he must have pulled a muscle. He tries to ignore Liam’s scent, after an initial check to his chemical signal; he knows Liam is relaxed and happy, and that suffices. He doesn’t need to linger on the way the bodywash enhances or clashes with Liam’s body odor, or the way his deo-spray is starting to tickle at Theo’s mind – he definitely, most definitely does not need to know if it’s Liam’s natural scent, the one poking at his brain, making Theo’s instinct consider things he shouldn’t.

It’s just, after the night before, this evidence of Liam feeling well, relaxed and happy is welcomed by Theo’s sense of duty. If Liam is fine, protected and happy, Theo feels at peace, too.

He’s starting to grow codependent of Scott’s little beta, isn’t he?

“What are you thinking?” Liam asks from the bottom of the stairs leading up to the bench where Theo lays. His voice is calm and steady, and he knows the chimera will hear him.

Theo snorts. You. Me. All things he shouldn’t say. So he shakes his head and sits up, instead, and answers vaguely. Not a lie, because it doesn’t feel fair, lying to Liam.

“Nothing, just waiting for you. I think Scott wants to have pack dinner tonight. Do you want me to drive you there, or your parents?”

Liam clicks his tongue.

“Come down here. And it’s not like Scott doesn’t want you there as well. You know that”

Theo gets on his feet and walks down, keeping his head tipped. He pretends to be paying extra attention to the stairs but really, he is actually more concerned with using his fringe to cover his eyes, and even more the blushing on his cheeks. When he reaches Liam, though, he realizes it has been all for nothing, judging from the way the boy is grinning at him as soon as Theo meets his eyes.

“What”

“Nothing. Let’s go directly to his place. What time did he say is the meeting?”

Theo shrugs, lips twisted downwards.

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him after he’s said he wanted a meeting tonight, in general”

Liam calls while they are walking to Theo’s truck, now the only car left in the parking lot of the school. Liam dumps his backpack and his lacrosse gear bag on the backseat. Scott picks up after a very, very long time, when Liam is about to climb in.

“Liam!” he exclaims, sounding vaguely out of breath… but not in the way that would justify Liam’s recent worries of his alpha being kidnapped or hurt.

At least not against his will, Theo thinks, trying to muffle his laughs against his arm.

“Scott, come back here, I swear” they hear Malia’s voice growl from the other side of the phone, presumably somewhere close to Scott.

Theo laughs harder, giving up on trying to smother the sound.

“… Hi Scott” Liam greets, hesitating, his cheeks blown up red like tulips.

“Hi! Uh, can I call you back? Soon?” Scott asks, even more out of breath.

They hear another growl from close to Scott.

“Or, not so soon. Liam? Ok?” Scott prompts, now in a hurry.

“Ye.. es” Liam stammers, dumbstruck by embarrassment.

“Ok, great bye” Scott quickly says, before dropping the call.

Liam looks at the phone in his hand with an expression that is the perfect mixture of amusement, embarrassment and horror beyond limits. Theo is all but bent forwards, half sprawled on the hood of his car, howling with laughter. He doesn’t know when it has been the last time he’s laughed this much.

“Oh my god” Liam groans, smiling. He closes his eyes and starts laughing too.

“Oh my god!” he repeats louder, almost shrieking. Theo is in tears, his chest hurts and there is no air in his lungs.

“Oh my god!” Liam screams a third time, laughing and covering his face with the hood of his lacrosse jersey sweater.

“Why! Why haven’t you stopped me! You knew, didn’t you?” Liam accuses Theo.

He’s caught trying to breath and almost bursts into another fit, remembering Liam’s face and his concerned tone, when he was so sure that someone must have kidnapped Scott, Theo, I’m sure they’ve kidnapped him, it must have been hunters!

“You’ve… They’ve..” Theo wheezes, wiping his eyes and trying to breath: “hunters!” he shrieks, in a terrifyingly realistic, mocking re-edition of Liam’s nervous breakdown from shortly prior.

“You sounded so sure! I am sure someone is maiming him right now, but I am also very sure he doesn’t mind, though!” Theo exclaims sarcastically and starts laughing again. This time Liam joins him, howling in laughter, laughing so hard and so much that they both end up sprawled on the floor.

It’s hysterical, maybe, but so good, and liberating. It’s not even that funny, but funny isn’t the reason why they are laughing so hard. There was an initial reaction to Liam’s gaffe, yes, but now it’s not because of it that they are with their backs on the floor, knees high in the air or cradled close to their chests, looking at the sky and hearing each other trying to catch a breath.

“Shit”, Theo swears, smiling at the sky, incredibly euphoric.

“We’re alive” Liam continues that thought.

Theo bites his lower lip and nods.

“Yeah, we are” he murmurs.

The thought of the graves in the woods comes up, unbidden, but he pushes it down. Gently, he doesn’t repress it. He just doesn’t want to taint this pleasant moment with Liam by bringing up sad memories full of regret and guilt.

He closes his eyes, thinking. If there is a way. If there is a way I can make it up to you, I will find it.

“I mean, I was dead. Maybe” he jokes, opening his eyes again.

Liam snorts.

“Yes, well, clearly it didn’t stick”

Now it’s Theo’s turn to snort. He almost chuckles, then he shakes his head, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

“Yes, well. I mean, I don’t know if I could consider it being dead. I probably wasn’t” he muses.

Liam goes silent. Theo can hear him roll on his side and walk on his knees around the front of the pickup truck. When his blond head peeks from behind the car, Theo looks at him and snorts again.

He’s adorable.

“You’re ridiculous. You know you could have walked, right?”

Liam doesn’t raise to his bait. He’s still got this relaxed but serious expression on, a total oxymoron, especially on Liam. His lips move imperceptibly, probably because he’s biting on them. Again.

“Hell” he starts, after a moment. He swallows, and Theo does the same.

“Was it bad?” he asks, honestly curious. His voice is soft, his face naïve, and he means well. He looks also weirdly respectful, the same respectful Theo has learned Liam can be whenever you wouldn’t expect him to.

“Yes” Theo answers just as honestly, not bothering to guard his expression while he holds gaze with the blond, younger boy.

At least now he isn’t crying, right?

There is no point in lying. Not to Liam, not after the night before. Theo has shed too many layers, has inadvertently let Liam in on a lot of secrets that he was guarding zealously, the main one being that weakness, the one induced by pain and regret. Liam has already seen him at his lowest, now. Two times. And yet he still is by Theo’s side. As much as lying has come as a second nature for him, Theo now finds himself wishing he can stop lying for some time, at least to Liam.

He owes Liam the truth.

Liam nods, looking serious now. The way he did the night before, when he was looking ethereal and barely human, but not the way Theo has been accused of being. He vividly remembers Liam’s eyes, the way he looked like a statue or a god, instead of the angry boy Theo knows. His eyes are stormy blue and his lips are blown full, most likely from too much biting.

“Good” Liam comments.

Theo freezes, schooling his face into no reaction, but he can’t camouflage the way his heart skips a beat. But Liam smiles right after, catching the reaction easily.

“It wouldn’t have made you change, otherwise”

Theo looks at him, then he mirrors his smile. He still thinks he hasn’t changed, that he’s not really able to. But, seeing the graves in the woods has touched something inside him, and he doesn’t know if he should call it heart, or soul, or whatever. He shakes his head, rolls over and gets to his feet. He walks to where Liam is waiting, sitting on his heels, and offers him one hand.

“Come on. Scott is clearly busy. I’ll take you to your parents’ until he calls us”

Liam slaps his hand into Theo’s and hoists himself up.

“That could take a while” he objects.

“I know. Are you hungry? Let’s go to your place and then we can go grab something quickly to that Italian bakery close to your place” he proposes.

Liam groans in delight.

“Mmm panini prosciutto, yes please!”

He even goes cross-eyed as he says it. Theo laughs and gets in the car.

Xxxxx

Later that same night, after they’ve left Liam’s gear at his place and stopped for fuel in the form of delicious Italian food, Scott texts everyone in the pack group chat to meet him at his place and have an impromptu meeting involving pizza. It’s relatively late, but pizza is still enough of a motivator that everyone sends positive feedbacks, spanning from ‘ok cool’ to a more enthusiastic ‘yay, pizza!’.

Theo and Liam arrive together, when everyone else is already there. The driveway outside the McCalls’ is crowded, there is even Peter’s car, and Theo has to do some miracle to park not too far. Only Derek is missing, Scott explains that he is still driving back from Mexico.

Scott is trying to engage both Liam and Theo, just as much as they want to postpone the moment they will make eye contact with him - they really didn’t mind laughing, it has been fun and very pleasant as far as experiences go, but they would really love not repeating that in front of the pack. Of course, it’s a bit difficult to run from your alpha when you are at his place, so sooner than later they meet his eyes and his dopey smile.

“Sorry about before” he apologies, blushing slightly and smiling.

Theo pulls his lips into a polite smile and shrugs. Liam tries to play a bit more unaffected and goes for a nonchalant shrug, making a face: “No worries, we understand. You had your reasons”

Theo bites the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, and glares a bit at Liam. The blond boy even dares batting his lashes at him, but that is exactly the moment Malia pops in, appearing very close to Scott. She looks relaxed, and she’s holding a big slice of pizza she is tearing bites from.

“Hey guys. Sorry for before. We were busy”

“Clearly” Theo replies before he can help himself. He isn’t too surprised when he hears Liam’s voice echoing his own. They share a glance and smile at each other. They wiggle their eyebrows at Scott and move forward, in direction of the table where the pizza boxes are splayed open. Scott starts asking Liam how he feels, if he’s ok, and Liam struggles a bit answering that yes, he is fine, no, he doesn’t feel neglected, really, Scott, it’s fine.

Theo pushes some pizza into his hands, and it’s not too clear if he wants Liam to shut up or get some fuel into him, but the way he’s wiggling his eyebrows suggests that it’s more meant as a prop that Liam can use to either change the topic or at least stop talking.

The pack is spread on every reachable surface in the room, all members currently in Beacon Hills occupying different sitting places. Their hands are busy with paper plates and napkins, all full of big slices of pizza. The sheriff and Parrish are sitting at the table, talking with Ms. McCall and Peter. Theo catches enough of that conversation to dub it as not interesting nor important, something about kids these days.

On the sofa, Malia and Scott are shoulder against shoulder, Scott holding a plate with a massive pile of pizza slices Malia is quickly working her way through. On the loveseat Mason and Corey are curled up, a plate carefully balanced on their thighs. Liam sits close to them, halfway from the loveseat and the sofa where his alpha is. He shoves a huge piece of pizza into in his mouth and makes eye-contact with Theo while he’s still chewing. The chimera smirks, wiggling his brow and plopping down on the carpet, opposite him.

Liam smiles. It’s weird, this domesticity: watching Theo Raeken eat pizza, sitting in Scott’s living room, all the pack here, enjoying their time. Liam chews on his own slice of wood-oven baked heaven and loses himself in the way Theo bends forward, trying to bite mozzarella off his fingers, the melted cheese having apparently different plans.

It’s almost cute. He is almost cute. His hair has grown, dark and luscious, and he’s regained the weight he has lost in hell – although he still looks like he hasn’t caught up yet with the excellent, perfect shape he was in when he was working with and for the Dread Doctors. At least he is less pale now, and looks much more relaxed, even happy, in a carefree way that Liam would have never expected to witness.

Liam almost snorts. He doesn’t only because he knows it would attract Theo’s attention, so he just smirks to himself and lowers his eyes to the carpet. He munches and chews, focusing on the information his tongue is sending to his brain. It doesn’t matter how paradisiac the pizza is, though, the memory of Theo, broken, the night before is winning all his attention. And he would scoff, if he didn’t know better. Scott and Theo are already looking at him, eyebrows quirked, both wondering what the heck is going on with him. He must be sending a hell of a mess in terms of chemical signals, a mixture of fond happiness and pain at the memory of Theo, crying and shattered in front of the graves.

He almost feels guilty. He probably shouldn’t have brought Theo to the graves, he probably has usurped a right that was Scott’s or Corey’s. And it pains him, knowing he has indirectly caused Theo so much pain. But at the same time he wishes Mason, Corey, or anyone else who doubts that Theo has really changed – he wishes they had seen Theo, had witnessed the way he has broken. Because, as great an actor Theo as always been, as great a liar, he has always hated looking weak, let alone show real fragilities.

And there was no lying or acting the chimera could have come up with, Liam knows Theo wasn’t lying, hasn’t been acting, just like he hasn’t lied since Liam has brought him back from hell, when he has saved Liam during the Wild Hunt or from Monroe’s hunters.

Liam looks at him, watches him swallow pizza, a questioning look on his face perfectly rendered by that raised eyebrow. Liam smiles at him.

He is a liar, a murderer, a killer. He has done terrible, horrible things. But at the end of the day he is still a teenage boy like many of them, and he wants to change. Even if maybe Theo himself doesn’t know, or he can’t see it, Liam does, he can.

Liam’s philosophical, introspective moment is interrupted by the screeching sound of tires on the concrete, outside. The typical sound a sport car would make, if someone drove it very fast in Scott’s driveway, and if they killed the engine rather abruptly barely after parking.

As soon as the car door opens, every single member of the pack who can rely on a supernatural sense of smell takes a deep sniff to know who’s the newcomer.

“Derek” Scott smiles.

Xxxxx

Derek has yet to reach and open the front door of the house, but Peter already sighs, a long, exasperated sound that almost clashes with his fond expression. He piles some slices on a paper plate and uses the tip of a claw to open a beer bottle.

“What’s wrong?” Mason asks to Corey, noticing the way the oldest Hale member behaves.

Everyone who has smelt Derek’s mood in his scent has taken to eat slower, assuming a more somber expression.

“Derek is.. “Corey starts, trying to explain it.

“Pissed” Liam provides, voice neutral. He checks in with Theo, who nods distractedly, eyes trained on the door, still nibbling at the croute of his pizza slice.

“I smell no blood though” Theo adds in a whisper.

“That’s a relief” Liam comments, sincere.

Derek doesn’t bother knocking, coming directly in. He greets the room with a brisk ‘hi’, and the pack answers.

“Hey Derek, come here” Melissa McCall calls him, pushing a chair from out the table.

“You don’t look very happy” the sheriff comments, smiling sympathetically.

Peter slides plate and bottle over to his nephew, who catches both. Peter looks like he really wants to say something and he’s trying not to, hiding his effort behind his beer. Derek sits, takes a deep swallow from the bottle and sighs, looking straight into his uncle’s eyes.

“If I tell you you were right, will I save myself the ‘I told you so’?”

Peter makes a face.

“That depends. It’s what I did, after all. Tell you so” he adds with a smirk.

Derek glares at him, then he sighs again and takes a long sip from his beer.

“Let me guess. Areka didn’t know anything remotely useful, and Manuel hasn’t grown a brain since last time he’s spoken with Talia. Is that right?” Peter asks, drawling the question out with a knowing smirk.

Derek doesn’t look up from his plate, expression aloof and bored. He busies himself with some of the pizza and folds a slice in two pieces, taking a huge bite.

“You know it is” he answers, chewing.

Peter shakes his head, still smirking, but there is fondness in his eyes. He nurses his beer, elbows on the table. Theo can easily see that all that fondness is for Derek.

“Well, then”

“You’ve already said it” Derek glares in warning, picking up another slice.

“Technically, I haven’t” Peter replies, but drops it and helps his nephew with more pizza.

Theo watches, interested. Liam too, as many others in the room. The Hales are… peculiar. Nobody understands them, especially these two. They were very close when they were both younger, but Peter has tried pushing Derek on a lot of bad roads, all taking to hell. Well, figuratively speaking. And yet they’re still protective of each other. It’s crazy, but Theo finds it encouraging. Whatever rot there was in the Raekens that has culminated in and with him, he finds it comforting to see that it has affected also good people like the Hales.

It’s debatable who’s worse, whether Theo or Peter. So, if the Hales (well, what is left) still consider each other family, this give Theo reasons for hope. Even if he doesn’t have any family left that might treat him the way Peter does with Derek, and vice versa.

For Liam, on the other hand, it’s much simpler: the Hales are basically a re-edition of the cast of the Lion King. Peter is Scar, Derek is a dumber, bitter version of Simba, if he hadn’t found Timon and Pumba and hadn’t taken it all hakuna matata.

His treacherous brain provides him the very vivid memory of Timon singing ‘in the jungle’ before being ambushed by Nala. He almost has to punch his own head, to make sure he won’t burst out singing it, too.

Derek sighs, a long thing that lasts, like, ten seconds, sagging in his chair, pizza momentarily forgotten. He presses the heels of his hands over his pale, green eyes and stretches his arms out.

“A complete waste of time” he declares right after, informing the whole room.

Scott sighs: “We’ve had a third victim, in the meantime” he tells him.

Derek shakes his head and swears softly.

“Not to sound negative, but, we knew it was going to happen” Peter intervenes reasonably: “I bet Argent’s little trip won’t be of any use, either”

“That’s not being negative, that’s just being an asshole” Liam grumbles, eyes flashing.

Peter’s eyes go wide and his lips spread in a predatory grin.

“Why, little beta…”

“Drop it” Theo steps in, watching Peter but clasping one hand firmly on Liam’s arm.

Liam is still technically in front of him, but, now that everyone has shifted in their seats in direction of the table, Theo is basically shielding him from Peter, covering Liam’s front with his outstretched arm. Protective and challenging. Even if Theo is going for casual, he knows that’s the way it looks.

Peter’s eyes go wide again, now targeting Theo, his grin turning from taunting to malicious. Before he can readdress his attention on Theo, though (who is a big boy and can take it, and is also somehow kind of itching for a fight), Scott flashes red eyes at Peter, echoing Theo’s warning.

“Drop it” he orders, calm and neutral.

Peter does. It’s obvious he doesn’t like it, but he just smirks and goes back to his beer. Theo sighs, turning to Scott and Liam.

“He is right, though. The chances that Argent comes back having found something remotely useful are extremely low”

“Maybe we can figure something out, all of us” Mason suggests.

The sheriff shakes his head.

“It still sounds so wrong, involving kids and civil in an investigation”

Parrish smiles and pushes toward him another beer: “We wouldn’t have closed the last two or three cases without them” he points out.

“Yes, well, that’s also because two out of three of them were staged by people in this room” the sheriff replies, going for casual or sarcastic but sounding slightly more accusing than Theo has hoped.

Theo almost blushes, catching himself at the last moment. Peter, instead, he just smiles and raises his bottle in a mocking toast, taking a good swallow right after.

“Whatever” Derek intervenes, addressing Scott: “tell me about the third victim”

“It was a werebear. Male, in his thirties. He is the oldest victim, so far”

Theo hums along Scott’s words. The oldest so far. The victims are, in fact, progressively older. The detail sounds relevant, but he doesn’t know how to use the information yet.

“So, there’s been three victims, each older than the previous” Mason summarizes.

“Two women, one man” Corey adds.

“A protector, a predator, and a predator that protects nature” Parrish contributes, looking straight at Theo. He frowns, still holding eye contact with the chimera.

“If the third victim is supposed to be a sort of summary of the previous two, why is age increasing?”

“You mean, why is the third victim a thirty years old man instead of a guy younger than Alexis? Good question” Theo nods.

“There is another imbalance, now, in terms of gender” Mason points out.

“Well” Theo starts, with an half snort, but he doesn’t continue. He’s thinking, spacing out, eyes trained on an empty spot in the middle of the room. Two women… that depends from perspective, doesn’t it?

“What?” Malia asks, snapping Theo out.

“He means that the succubus is actually a wild card, on that regard” Peter answers patiently to his daughter.

Malia frowns, and she’s not the only one. Parrish searches Theo’s eyes, questioning, and the sheriff wears an identical look. Theo rolls his eyes. Seriously, those two need to hire an expert. Someone to help them out.

“You see, a succubus is normally a creature with female reproductive organs. The males of the species are incubi, but they rarely, extremely rarely… bond, let’s say, with succubi”

Parrish frowns, confused, and Theo can already guess his next question.

“Aren’t they the same species?”

Exactly.

“Yes, but, think of the species as symbiotic parasites of humans. Females are born succubi, and generally they reproduce using human males. Males are born incubi… and, well, I don’t think there would be any sane, human woman who would establish a long term bond with them”

Derek snorts out a bitter laugh: “Unless they have a death wish”

“Mmm” Peter muses, humming through closed lips: “there have been many cases, actually, especially before the twentieth century. It wasn’t infrequent to have arranged marriages resulting in women dying in childbirth or mysteriously losing their mind, committing suicide… and it was found out that the husbands were incubi”

“I still don’t follow” Scott frowns: “I though in every species females and males mates. Unless in case of homosexuality, but…”

“You made your point, Scott” Mason interrupts him, smiling: “how does the species survive, if they systematically mate with human? Usually, mixing blood leads to infertility in the newborn”

“Look, this is getting out of topic. We don’t need to study the biology of succubi” Theo interrupts, raising his hand in front of him and using it to stress his point.

“Or incubi?” Liam asks.

“Or incubi” Theo nods: “what I meant is that females of the species are born succubi. They are females, but they can choose their own body. So this means that Alexis could be see as part man, too”

Silence.

“Like a transgender?” Corey asks.

Theo rolls his eyes but nods.

“More like a shape shifter. If their prey is a straight man, they will use a female body to lure him in. If it’s a gay man, they will shift into a man’s body. Same goes if they’re hunting a female, straight or gay”

More silence. Some of the adults are blushing, although very, very slightly. Not the Hales, which doesn’t surprise Theo.

Liam frowns, confused.

“Man, how do they even know what they are, if they’re so fluid?” Corey asks, puzzled.

“They don’t care. They reproduce and they mate only after that, generally not with the father of their offspring” Peter explains.

“I’m confused” Mason announces.

“It doesn’t matter” Theo replies: “the thing is, Alexis could be the point that solves the gender imbalance” he stresses.

“But why have her second then?” Parrish asks, following Theo’s reasoning and gaining a lot of credit points in Theo’s book.

He shrugs: “That, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the total that matters, not the sequence?” he suggests.

“That’s easy to test. We just have to see if there is another victim and if yes, of what gender”

“Peter, we are trying to keep another person from dying” Malia comments, voice neutral clashing with her glare.

“Well, you have to stop, then. You need to be realistic” he retorts, serious and slightly frustrated.

Theo relates. Peter turns that little bit that enables him to engage visually all the people in the room.

“Look, I know you don’t like the way it sounds. I understand. It fits with what you are, all of you. But you have to stop wasting so much energies in hoping for something that we have no chance to prevent”

Theo agrees, but he can feel the shot of anger flaring through Liam. He closes one hand on the boy’s knee, squeezing, and looks at the beta with a firm look.

"He's right" he precedes whatever Liam thinks if saying or doing. He softens his expression a little but goes on, mainly addressing the blond wolf over the rest of the pack.

"He is right. We have too little information to stand a chance to stop whatever the next step will be. There are thousands of rituals, hundreds of which involving blood and sacrifices. We have no way to know who is the performer, what exactly they are doing, why, and how to stop it"

Everyone is looking at him, with different expressions, but none seems too hostile. Except maybe Malia, but she's letting him speak, and Theo counts it as a win.

"If, by stumbling completely in the dark, we manage to either figure out who's behind it, or even stop another kill - that would be great. I'm just saying, don't put too much hope in that. Because it will only drain your energies, it will make you lose focus, and in the end that's the way you get killed" 

He finishes his speech looking pointedly at many faces, focusing especially on Mason, Scott, Malia. And obviously Liam.

"Are you talking for experience?" Malia's comment is snarky but empty of the usual anger anything she says has, whenever she addresses Theo, meant to role him up or spread salt on a wound she doesn't really know and doesn't feel the need to make sure if it really exists. It does, exist and feel like an open wound: Theo feels as guilty for her as for Tracy and Josh and many others. Malia probably doesn't dream of the possibility. She doesn't care anyway.

"Malia" Scott chides her, eyes warm and without any real alpha force in them or in his voice. It's meant to sooth her more than to warm her, but Theo is fine with it: he wouldn't expect Scott to side with him over his own girlfriend. What is surprising, though, is that right after that Scott makes eye contact with Theo and nods.

"You're right" he agrees 

Theo is about to say that of course he is, but why is Scott agreeing? He doesn't, of course, he keeps his mouth shut, because even if he's probably spent too much time already in close quarters with these terribly, poorly organized morons, morons that he is suspiciously growing fond of, he still maintains his previous brain abilities. 

Surprise is blooming on some faces around the room, but nobody interrupts or contradicts Scott anyway. Theo has been right in the first place, and many of those not interrupting Scott knew, but Theo doesn't take it personally, that they prefer to hear it from Scott than himself. Well, it is meant to be personal, but, anyway. He understands that it is easier for their own peace of mind, agreeing with Scott rather than with Theo.

"This doesn't mean we can't work to figure out which ritual it is" Scott goes on, looking in control. He ruins it all by turning to Theo, as if he wanted to check with him about the possibility, and really, that's about all it takes to spoil all his previous credibility and sense of control. 

Whatever. Maybe Theo can give Scott some tips on how to look, at least pretend being in control. He muses about it, and casts it aside. Maybe, in the future. If they survive.

Theo nods. 

"I'm not saying we can't"

"What do we know about whoever is performing it?" Derek asks.

"It's someone who knows what they're doing, it isn't someone who stumbled on a book with magic spells and is trying them out, seeing how they go" Theo answers.

"They use a variety to keep the killings under the radar. They only lift it either when the victims are dead, or they are far enough" Liam joins is, reporting more or less Theo's words from the night before. They share a minuscule grin when Theo realizes that, as if Liam wanted to acknowledge it. That he listens to Theo, sometimes.

"Does it still make sense, thinking that there are hunters behind it?" Parrish asks, frowning and looking skeptical.

"Hardly, but Gerard has used magic before. It's a trail we can't afford to drop yet" Scott observes.

"True, if very unlikely" Theo agrees, nodding: "better to be sure, anyway"

"I'm going to slaughter that hideous, withered old man" Peter mutters.

"I'll help" Malia comments, detached.

"Nice. We can turn it into a father - daughter bonding experience" Peter comments, smirking.

"Aaaand we're not going to point out how creepy that sounds" Mason snorts.

"Bonding over murder? I don't know, I guess it depends. Gerard kind of tempts me as well" Theo comments, detached and softly but loud enough that a heavy, uncomfortable silence follows his statement.

Uh oh. Looks like the pack is ready for Peter making these jokes, but not Theo. He blushes, if only very slightly so, and Liam snorts. Scott smiles fondly, which is what does it, releasing the tension in the room.

"Let's try to leave murdering Gerard as an extremely last resource, uh?" 

Theo rolls his eyes.

"Pity" Malia mutters.

"I agree" Peter echoes his daughter.

"We don't know what the ritual is for" Theo states, more to change the topic than because he sees the point of analyzing what they know about the ritual.

"Usually, they're either to gain more power or just to kill someone that otherwise would be difficult to kill" Mason observes.

Corey squints his eyes at him.

"What? At least in movies or books"

"Mason's right. Either it's for power or simply for the kill itself" Scott repeats.

"There are rituals that allow you to steal powers from a supernatural, usually by killing them. But if that was the case, out victims would be one hundred percent human, once they're dead" Theo reasons aloud.

"Isn't anybody going to comment how creepy it is that he said that? Him?" Peter asks.

"Shut up" Liam and Derek glare at him 

"So, because the still have supernatural traits, we can assume this isn't what has happened. Is that right?" the sheriff recaps.

Theo nods.

"Well, all the victims are supernaturals. Looks like a ploy against supernaturals, to me" Mason infers.

"I agree" sheriff Stilinski says, with Parrish, Derek and Peter nodding along.

Malia sighs in frustration.

"What the fuck. What have we done to people"

"Not to people" Theo replies, eyes widening in realization: "this is a supernatural, performing the ritual. It's a witch, or a warlock. I mean, it's a freaking sorcerer"

"A professional, uh?" Parrish muses. 

"Yes, well, I don't see how that can help. It's not like we can track down and witch or warlock, or sorcerer, in town..." Peter retorts. He stops, when he sees the expression on Theo's face, which is also coincidentally mirrored on Derek's.

"Oh no"

"But can we, though?" Liam pipes in, grabbing at Theo's wrist and having him turn to look at him.

"Is there any way we can find anyone doing anything related with magic?"

"Well, we could smell it" Malia suggests.

"There is a bunch of reasons why that wouldn't work. First of all, the barrier disappears when the victims are dead. Or when the sorcerer is far enough to feel safe" Peter points out.

"But if it's a professional sorcerer we're dealing with, maybe the scent of magic sticks to them, even after. If they do enough magic, I mean. We could still track them" Liam suggests, excitedly.

"You would have to comb the entire city and look for anyone who deals with magic. Do you have any idea how many people in Beacon Hills have had anything to do with magic, at least once? Do you know how many of them fuck with magic on a daily basis?" Peter shoots him down.

"Maybe you have a point, but Liam is right, too. And he and Malia remember the smell of the barrier" Theo replies.

"Guys, no offence. And I hate to side with Peter, but, it doesn't work this way. Magic has no scent. What you smelt and now call the scent of the barrier isn't what you think it was. It's not something you can follow and track. Magic itself has no scent, it's supposed to be like water" Mason intervenes.

"Thank you, voice of reason" Peter confirms, nodding with a satisfied smirk.

"But knowing at least how many people there actually are, in town able to perform a magic ritual... That would help" sheriff Stilinski insists, sounding very practical.

"Do you know how many people fit that description? Even your Doctor Deaton, even your son, hell, even Mason here" 

"What?!" Mason exclaims, freezing with eyes going wide.

"Don't worry, it's not an evil part of you doing it" Theo comments, sounding sarcastic and nonchalant about it but knowing that, even if now Mason blushes, glares and denies it, that is exactly what he has worried about.

"Do you think whoever is behind this knows about you?" a voice says. It suddenly attracts all the attention in the room, everyone shutting up and looking at Melissa McCall. She repeats her question. She doesn't add the part where she underlines that this is a ritual involving supernaturals dying, and they all are, well, mostly all of them, supernaturals. She doesn't say it, but they hear that part anyway.

"I think they do" Theo answers, honest and not wanting to downplay the risk they're running: "they wouldn't bother with the barrier otherwise"

"I agree" Derek says.

Scott sighs.

"Yes, and, it looks like a lot of people know about us, whenever they target Beacon Hills, so we can assume this guy does as well"

Malia smirks slightly: "Don't sound so modest, Scott, everyone wants you"

Scott blushes, smiling ruefully; Derek and Peter exhibit a perfectly synchronized eye roll upwards, so perfectly simultaneous that it's a tad creepy, and it's incredible if they haven't rehearsed it. Which they obviously haven't, hence, creepy.

"So what's the plan?" Liam asks.

"I still think we should know at least who could, potentially, perform a magic ritual of these proportions" Stilinski repeats.

Theo nods. If nothing else, a little research into that will make the police department of Beacon Hills realize how deeply, dangerously unprepared they are against any supernatural threats. Which it's highly time they realize.

Peter sighs, but doesn't protest anymore. Scott nods, then he asks if someone knows how to do that. Theo is tempted to smack his own forehead. Seriously Scott? How do you even manage to sound so dumb even when you've got things under control honestly. 

"Let me and Deaton figure that part out. The thing you and Theo were thinking, Derek, isn't really that practical, we need something more precise. Mason, you and Corey can tag along" Peter states.

"Sure" Mason accepts: "but we should call Lydia too, she can help"

Peter snorts: "Oh no, boy, you haven't understood, we depend entirely from her brilliant intuition" he replies, but he doesn't deny it, so Scott nods along it.

Liam turns to Scott and offers to patrol the preserve.

"Me and Theo" he says, obviously, Theo's ears perking up. He doesn't mind, but he doesn't want to risk Liam finding another body for the third time in a row.

Scott holds Theo's gaze, thinking the same, and he shakes his head no to Liam. 

"You guys take a rest. You've done that too often"

"We'll do it" Derek butts in, chin pointing at himself and Peter.

"After all that driving, I need to run a bit, anyway"

Xxxxx

"Peter is an asshole" Liam declares.

They're in Theo's truck, already halfway to Liam's place. It feels as if Liam has kept the comment bottled up until he's deemed they were far enough to feel safe to say it without Peter hearing it. 

It's funny and almost cute, Theo thinks, because he knows well that Liam hasn't bothered out of any fear he might feel for the former alpha. No, Theo, and Liam himself, they know Liam could probably even take Peter. He has waited only because his alpha and Theo have told him not to pick a fight with the oldest Hale.

It really is cute, Theo thinks, chuckling.

"Have you just found that out?"

Liam rolls his eyes.

"You're an asshole too"

"I repeat, have you just..."

"Yeah yeah, whatever" Liam cuts Theo short, trying to go for annoyed but smiling, amused. He remains silent for a while, face slotting back into a serious expression.

"About the spell... Do you think they have any chance to find whoever does any magic?"

Theo sighs and shrugs in dismissal.

"There are a couple of spells I know that one could use, but they tell you the location of literally everyone who has ever performed even a little magic. With no distinction. That's why Peter said we need something more specific"

Liam bites the inside of his cheek. He must bite too hard because not long after Theo smells blood, and he can see Liam is now biting the inside of his lip, instead.

"Stop it" he chides: "you're going to make that bleed too"

And your lips are red enough already. Not to mention Theo has very recently found out he really likes lower lips the shape Liam's is. He is actually growing a little obsessed over it. Which is interesting... Or embarrassing, more likely.

Liam blushes slightly, embarrassed at being caught, and lets go of the abused flesh.

"Did you smell it?"

"The blood? What do you think? You're literally beside me" Theo answers, going for bored but not schooling his heartbeat into a rhythm steady enough. 

Must be the full moon, he decides. It was only a week prior, and he's part wolf. Probably he's just still under it's influence. Liam too, probably. The way he's blushing would suggest so.

"Do you think they'll find another body?" Liam asks quietly after a moment.

Theo doesn't answer, driving silently. It's already dark outside, and the lights of his car lighten up a good portion of the road. He scratches his temple with a finger.

He hopes they don't. He thinks of Darlene, of red roses, redder than blood, and of the way Liam's lip goes red when he bites at it. 

The more supernaturals die, the more likely it is next time it will be one they know.

"I don't know" he answers honestly.

"I hope not" he adds, after a while.

The silence drags on, Liam just humming softly in agreement.

Xxxxx

Derek and Peter run.

It's been a long, long time since last time they have. They used to always run together, when they were younger, when they still had a family and the big Hale house in the woods was still full of life. Derek would shift, most of the times, to try and catch up with Peter, always so unnaturally faster than anyone else, even Talia. Peter would win the race anyway, and Derek would have to later spend a good thirty minutes trying to find his clothes back.

The way they run together now is different, for many reasons. First of all, the way they run now is the way two adult men run, not wasting energies with inefficient movements. They're older and better trained, they know what to pay attention to. Second of all, running together is nice, but it can't delete years of bad blood, betrayal, anger. Can't outrun that, can you? 

Peter wins, but it's a terribly close call, and he suspects that the only reason he's made it was because Derek was focusing more on running for the sake of moving, and smelling the scents in the air.

Derek doesn't trust Peter as he did when they used to run together, a boy and a young man. He's stopped trusting his every word the day his eyes turned blue. But running together can still feel relaxing. Peter knows him in a way no one else does, not only in the McCall pack. He is different, in a way that doesn't make Derek feel self-conscious about his past, his mistakes especially. 

Of course, Derek still doesn't trust him. He can never forgive him for what he's done, either consciously or when he was a crazy alpha, mind overtaken by pain and grief. He can never forgive that even after the fire has killed many of them, Peter has gone on, further reducing their number. He's killed Laura for the alpha spark she's inherited from Talia, and he would have probably killed Derek and Cora too, had he thought it worthy.

So Derek can't forgive Peter, and Peter knows, but he's trying anyway. Trying to worm a little bit his way back into his nephew's affection, at least what's enough to feel again like a family, the bond of something to belong to. 

It's nice, running together.

Xxxxx

They walk side by side. They're done running, and this couldn't be called more than a stroll in the woods, really. However, because none of them feels a particular resemblance to any of the Bronte sisters, they keep at it as if they were only patrolling. Even if they've already checked the Nemeton and the preserve in general.

Without even fully processing what they're doing, they end up at the burned shell of what's left of their old house. They stop in the clearing, not bothering to repress or hide the wave of sorrow, guilt and regret that falls over them.

Derek is the first one to take a step forward, crossing the clearing and walking up to the patio of the house. It used to be one of his favorite place. He caresses the rotten wood with fond longing and a sad expression. Peter makes to follow him, and that's when they hear it.

They freeze, Peter with his right foot still in the air, Derek his left. They look for each other's eyes, pale and tense, ready for a fight, but also afraid, because this place brings up all their weaknesses and sensitivities. They hold eye contact while they both lower their feet, but no. Neither the crunch of leaves under Peter's boot not the eerie creak of the wood of the patio under Derek's cover the sound.

A soft sound, far away but not too far, a beating, drumming in a regular rhythm. It goes on, slow, so slow. Like the heartbeat of someone waking up from a long sleep, a hibernation.

Could it be an animal? Derek's eyes ask.

Peter shakes his head. No, don't you hear? This heart is bigger than any animal's. This must be a human heart, Peter's eyes are saying. They don't smell any scents, so how could it be an animal? 

But if it's a human, how could it be? Nobody comes here, it's not a hunter, and the sound goes on, steady, but so soft, as if it was...

"Buried under the ground" Derek whispers, eyes widening in horror and realization.

They shoot in direction of the only grave nearby, running towards the only cross under which they buried a casket, a body inside it. The closer they get, the stronger the sound becomes. Others accompany it, now: heavy knocks and thumps against the wood. 

A terrified scream, deafened by wood and meters of dirt.

"Laura!" Derek shouts into the night, falling at Peter's side.

His uncle has already started to claw the dirt away. 

"Laura!" Derek shouts again.

"Derek!" comes a soft voice from under, softened by earth, wood and tears. They don't care about the rush of it being a trap, they keep clawing and moving the earth away, Derek calling Laura's name.

"Laura! Laura, it's ok, we're here!"

When they have moved enough dirt, a strong punch managed to tear through the wooden axes of the casket, now made lighter by the diminished pressure on it. Derek's hand grabs it, intertwining their fingers. Peter starts to claw and punch at the joints of the coffin, Derek still holding onto his sister's hand. 

"Laura, we're here, we're almost done, you're almost out!" Derek doesn't know he's crying while he shouts.

Finally Peter tears the hinge in two pieces and the cover of the coffin is shot aside, kicked away with a strong hit.

Laura springs out of the coffin and hugs Derek with all her might, and he hugs her back. They're in shock, they don't know they're crying, even Peter has to struggle to regain control over his breathing.

"Laura" Peter whispers her name for the first time, but it's not a good idea.

She stills in Derek's arms, going cold and shaking now with vindictive force. It takes Derek a moment to figure out why she's no longer hugging him, and he only fully understands it when she snarls and charges Peter.

"Laura, no!" he tries to stop her, but she's already thrown Peter to the ground and is punching the living daylight out of him. 

"Laura, please!" Derek tries to tackle her, but she just shakes his hands off. It's enough for Peter, who manages to take hold of her wrist. He looks up at her, straight into her eyes, through tears, blood and the swelling on his face from where she's hit him.

It doesn't shake her in her resolve. She's seething, and snarls at him. 

"You killed me, you sick, greedy bastard. You killed me!"

Her tears fall on Peter's face. He shuts his mouth, swallowing down whatever he was trying to say, and just lets his own tears fall, all the while holding her gaze. Laura snarls at him another couple of times, now crying openly, then she shoves out if his grasp and stands up. She reaches Derek, engulfed him in another tight hug and cries on his shoulder. She gives her back to Peter, but doesn't seem to worry about it.

They stay like that for a long time. Then Peter crawls up, fishes his phone out of his pocket and dials a number he hasn't called in a long time. 

"Laura" Derek calls softly, while the phone rings.

"Come home with me" he smiles at her, warm and broken.

She nods, wipes at her face and turns to pin an incinerating glare to Peter. A glare that is one hundred percent Talia Hale.

"Laura" Derek calls again, offering her his hand. She takes it and they walk away.

Peter sighs softly, in pain and exhaustion. On the other side of the call a man has picked up, but still has to speak. 

"Have I just heard Derek call his sister's name?" Deaton asks, neutrally as usual but puzzled nonetheless.

Peter swallows.

"I need your help"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the typos and / or mistakes! I will re-read this in the next few days and correct any I find.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tu-tum. Tu-tum.

Derek brings Laura back to his flat.

He walks her at the car and she stops, looking at it. Then she steps in and sits. She doesn’t utter a single word while he drives: she just stares out of the windshield.

She smells of death and rotten, but from what Derek can see she’s back in flesh and bones, everything that must have decomposed once again as the day she died. She also smells tired, confused, scared and angry, all at the same time.

Derek swallows. He knows his sister, or at least what she uses to be, and he knows all those bottled up emotions will end up exploding, and it will be bloody. It will at least lead to another bloody Peter, most surely. But. Does he mind? Not really.

He knows this is connected with the ritual, Laura being here. He also knows this isn't fake, this is really his older sister, sitting by his side, in his car, looking and smelling the way Laura Hale would, if she came back to life after four years of being a corpse. She clenches her jaw in that unmistakable way that reminds Derek of their mother; everyone thinks he is the jaw-clencher of the family but, they should see Laura.

They will, he considers, tapping his index against the steering wheel. They can, now, they will, see her. His sister is back, she's alive. Derek's heart beats a fast, joyous rhythm that he can't control.

"How am I alive" Laura murmurs, eyes trained in front of her, unfocused. Half a question, half swearing. Possibly a tad resigned to it, too. 

Derek sighs.

"I think it's a fortuitous case. A coincidence. There is a sorcerer, killing supernatural till yesterday. He must have moved on to whatever the second part of his plan is. A ritual"

As explanation come, this is one of Derek's messiests. Laura turns to frown at him. She's basically scowling, but it triggers a beaming smile on Derek's face. This is Laura. She's back.

His eyes tear up and he bites his lower lip. He looks away, at the road in front of him.

"You're back" be whispers, crying, not looking at her.

Laura brings her eyes forward, her left hand slithering and reaching out over the seats to hold Derek's right, and squeezes it.

I'm here to stay, if I can stay, that squeeze means.

"Tell me about this ritual" she orders, moving to a safer topic. 

Derek squeezes back and starts talking.

Xxxxx

"What" Deaton neutrally asks, so careful it barely sounds like a question.

"You heard me" Peter answers, sounding exhausted.

Deaton is silent for a whole minute. Then he speaks again, pronouncing words people aren't familiar with, coming from his educated, polite mouth. 

"Peter, what the fuck?!"

Xxxxx

Derek and Laura arrive at his flat. He offers her a shower and brings her a change of clothes. They decide to throw away the rags hers are reduced to.

She checks herself in the mirror hanging on the bathroom wall, and, for what she can see, it looks like she's fine: come back from the grave the way she was, when someone (Derek) put her in.

"Help me check" she demands briskly.

Derek's cheeks heat up, and he freezes on the spot, stood at the bathroom door when Laura drops her towel and he forces himself to look her into her eyes. He finds the sight of his naked, elder sister in front of him extremely disturbing.

"What?!"

Laura pins him with a glare.

"Don't be a baby. I'm a fucking zombie mysteriously come back from death because of some creepy ritual, whose purpose you admitted you don't know. We don't know if someone will use me against you. You have to check if there is any trace they've left on me"

She's about as diplomatic as a punch in the face. Given by a brick wall. But she's right: Derek has to make sure he's safe with her. And maybe the spell that has brought her back has left a mark on her, anything they could use to figure out which ritual it is they're dealing with.

He sighs. There is a huge difference between acknowledging something sounds reasonable, a good idea, even, and actually doing it willingly. He can't even bring himself to watch below her collarbone, or take a step.

Laura's scent spikes with frustration and slightly anger, the way Derek has learned, for personal experience, that takes over his elder sister whenever she's afraid, or embarrassed.

"Derek, if you don't do it, it'll have to be Peter" she bluntly points out, and her eyes are speaking loudly about how little she'd like that. Derek understands, and a not so small part of him feels unusually protective of Laura - unusual, because it used to be her protecting him, not the other way around. 

It's not that Derek doesn't trust Peter not to kill her again... But, if she doesn't like the perspective of having Derek see her naked, she must downright hate the idea of it being Peter. So Derek takes a deep breath and sets to it. 

He moves her long, dark hair to the side, starting to look for marks on her back and shoulders. Her skin is warm, the way living bodies are. She doesn't smell like rot and decay now, just his body wash - she has used it for her hair, too. Beside that, her scent is back to the way Derek remembers it.

He doesn't notice the way his own eyes fill with tears. But he does when they start to roll down his cheeks. He wipes them away and continues searching. When he kneels down on one knee to check her legs he sees her hands gripping the sink tightly. Her knuckles are white, and she's shaking, if only barely. 

He clears is voice and stands up. 

"Do you want me to do the front as well?" he asks, trying to sound neutral.

His eyes catch her, reflected in the mirror. She's crying just like him, just as silently. Her eyes are dark. For how very similar the two of them are, Laura's eyes have always been a darker shade. They are blue, like Derek's, but dark enough that sometime they look black. She nods, and he takes a step back to give her room to turn. She trains her eyes on a spot on the wall behind Derek, as he sets to his task.

When he's done, he clears his throat uncomfortably. Laura has always been beautiful, she's always been strong, a good leader. Talia has shaped her into her future successor: even now that she's lost the alpha spark, Laura is the strongest soul on Earth that Derek has ever seen. 

He sniffles and forces his breathing into a calm pattern, to keep new tears from coming.

"I'll bring you the clothes here" he offers.

She nods, turning again to the sink. Derek hears the tab opening and water running. When he comes back she's drying her face. She takes the clothes without making eye contact, sliding on the smallest sweats Derek owned (she's always been thinner than him, but also slightly taller), and a t-shirt. He didn't bother with underwear, knowing she wouldn't take it anyway. 

"Do you want socks?" he asks instead, noticing the way her toes curls. 

She turns to the mirror and fixes her hair. She waits before answering, staring at her reflection for a long minute. Then she smiles, to him and to herself, and nods. 

It's that smile that does it, Laura's typical, contained but warm smile. Derek's eyes fill up again and he dives forward. Laura turns in time to catch him and hug him, reciprocating with the same strength from Derek's arms. He cries and sobs, hiding his face in the hollow of Laura's shoulder and squeezing her in his arms - he hasn't done this since Paige. 

Laura pats his back and lets him cry, caressing his hair and kissing his temple. 

"It's ok, Derek, I'm here. I don't know why or for how long, but I'm here" she whispers to his ear.

Derek needs a good ten minutes before he's back to his usual self. He tells Laura where to find another, dry t-shirt and washes his face as she leaves and changes. He doesn't even bother feeling embarrassed for the way he's lost it. His fucking elder sister has just resuscitated, give him a break.

Laura asks after Cora. She's still in New York, Derek explains. He tells Laura about two years before, when he found Cora enraged by the full moon in a trap set up by the hunters. Laura growls by default at that. 

She asks about Beacon Hills. There is a lot Derek has to explain, to answer that question. In the end he starts by mentioning the McCall pack, moving on with a crammed summary of the past five years since her death, and then proceeds to list all present and past pack members, distant allies included. He throws in as many details as he can, things he hasn't even realized knowing. 

Laura isn't overwhelmed. Derek wonders if it's because he's doing a good job or because she rarely was, anyway, handling Derek's reports. She sounds skeptical about Scott's decision to keep Theo around, and she doesn't hide the deep distrust she feels for Peter. But she doesn't reply when Derek tells her of the many times Peter has risked his own life to save a daughter he has learned he had only recently.

Derek speaks for almost one hour. He falls back into their old pattern, him telling her and she being in command, making the questions. He tells her literally whatever he can, all he knows. He doesn't even bother for a second with the thought she might be evil, might be here to hurt him, kill him. And he knows with extreme, painful certainty this is really her, so.

They have disagreed only once in their shared past, and it had been about Kate Argent. After losing almost their entire family, Laura has never brought it up once against Derek, not even once. So, if Laura turns out to be evil and tries to put her claws through his neck, Derek knows what he's going to do. And he knows what he's not.

He's not going to defend himself, and he's going to bare his throat for her.

Xxxxx

Alan Deaton has seen a great many things. 

He has been the emissary of the Hale pack for a reason. 

He watches Peter Hale, braced on his hands with his head down, holding himself up with shaking arms and standing only because of the clinic table.

Alan knows better than to speak now, with Talia's volatile, younger brother crying openly. So he just waits, focusing on his own emotions, to bring his heartbeat to a rhythm as steady as he can. 

"There is one good news" he risks saying after a while.

Peter lifts his head, pinning the human with empty, cold eyes and not bothering hiding his tears stained cheeks. 

"If this resurrection is followed by other two, then I think I know which ritual is being used" Deaton calmly states.

Peter shakes his head, eyes gleaming dangerously and chokes a bitter, wet laugh.

"Oh Alan... You're incredible, you know?"

Xxxxx

Liam wakes up well rested. Well, not exactly, but, he's redefined his concept of resting well since the bite, especially because of the terrifyingly huge amount of shit that has hit the fan, since then.

His sleep is still screwed up after Monroe's show, and the death of Brett and Lori. The 'hit and run', as many refer to it, and really, what a bullshitting euphemism. 

But anyway, he wakes up and he feels better, and for a moment, caught between showering and running around in his room to pick up at the too many clothes he's spread on every surface available to detect clean jeans and a shirt - he wonders if it has to do with talking with Theo, the night before, before going to bed.

Yesterday night, as soon as the front door of his house has slammed shut behind Liam, he has found it odd, a pleasant surprise, as if realizing only then that it had happened. And he has noticed that it hadn't felt odd in the least, while he still had been in Theo's truck, parked in front of his house. Talking about lacrosse, of all things: Theo seems to think coach has actually a point when he screams Liam's ears off for improving his running technique.

Liam's face feels hot, but he doesn't understand why. He finishes packing his backpack and the lacrosse gear bag, and walks loudly down the stairs. His stepfather has already left but his mom is still there, and he makes it on time to kiss her before taking the door.

Except he doesn't go far, because there is a car waiting for him in the driveway, yes, to pick him up for school, presumably, yes, but Liam freezes because it's not Mason and Corey, it's Theo's truck. With the chimera inside, on a call, on speaker. Liam frowns and that's the moment when he meets Theo's green eyes. He's talking with the windows closed but Liam can still hear Scott's voice. Theo smiles in greeting and nods his head. Liam walks closer, trying to detect Theo's chemosignals, but it's harder than hearing sounds, with the windows shut.

"Hold on Scott" Theo is saying: "come on, Little Wolf, get in! This is for you as well"

Liam all but bolts in, cramming the space at his feet with his bags. He slams the door closed and smiles tentatively at Theo.

"Morning?"

"Morning" Theo drawls chuckling.

"Good morning Liam" Scott's tinny voice greets him from the phone.

"What's up?" Liam asks, curious, pinning Theo with a questioning stare.

The chimera pushes his lips down, shaking his head to say he doesn't know any more than Liam.

"Eh" Scott starts, hesitating.

"It's a bit difficult to explain"

"Are you alright?" Liam asks.

"Yes, yes, I'm alright. We are..." Scott answers, but can't go further than that.

"Scott, did you find another body?" Theo steps in, eyeing the phone with a serious expression.

Scott sighs, in a way that suggests appreciation for the direct question, as it helps him saying whatever it is he's calling them for.

"Yes but no. It's not a body. Well... It's not a corpse. Not anymore. Our guy has moved on to phase two. Which apparently consists of resuscitating supernaturals"

Theo and Liam widen, their eyes in an identical, shocked expression.

"What?!"

"You've heard me. This guy has resuscitated a person. From death" Scott repeats.

Theo is about to underline that of course it's from death, what else do you resuscitate from, but he manages at the last moment to keep it to himself.

"A supernatural?" he echoes, instead.

Why resuscitating supernaturals? Theo thought this guy was going all this way to kill supernaturals. Why bringing any back from death, now? It makes no sense, it completely fucks with all the theories Theo has carefully assembled so far. So unnerving.

Unless everything has been done for the sake of this particular supernatural. If it's someone like, say, Deucalion, then Theo won't be too surprised. That someone has gone this far to bring him back among the livings.

"Well, we only have one resuscitated person so far and yes, it happens to be a supernatural" Scott confirms.

Theo bites his lower lip, thinking.

"We have no way to know if this was the ultimate goal of the sorcerer. Resuscitating this one, in particular. If they will stop, or if they'll do it again" he reasons aloud.

"That's the point. So we have to patrol tonight, see if they resuscitate someone else" Scott affirms.

"Do you want us to?" Theo asks.

"Well... Derek and Peter are kind of out of the game, now. Peter is with Deaton, looks like they are close to figure out what's the ritual, and Derek..."

Scott sighs, in a way that almost telegraphs the movement he must be doing with his head.

"It's better if we leave Derek to check on Laura. She looks fine, at least to him. And, well, to me as well, when I saw her, but it's not like I knew here before. Anyway, Deaton has seen her too. And my mom. My mom said she's physically ok, and Deaton kind of confirmed she's really the same she was"

Liam screws his face up in a confused expression, turning to look at Theo, but the chimera has two eyebrows raised up to his hairline and an extremely shocked face.

"Scott, wait. Are you saying that the supernatural that has just been resuscitated is Laura? As in, Laura Hale? Derek's elder sister?"

Scott sighs in surrender, or maybe it's more lack of words, or possibly both. 

"Crazy right? What a great way to make sure Derek and Peter will both be too emotionally screwed up to work figuring the ritual out"

Theo gapes at the phone, then he shuts his mouth, teeth clicking.

"Yeah, well... Yes, I guess" he agrees.

"Wait what?!" Liam exclaims.

They ignore him. Theo asks if they have to expect her to turn against the pack. Scott sighs again.

"We don't know. She has, actually, personally told me not to trust her. She's basically warned me against herself"

Theo snorts.

"Yep, this sounds a lot like what I've heard about Laura Hale" he comments.

Liam quirks an eyebrow at him but doesn't raise the question Theo can see on his face. Which is appreciated: they don't have time. Theo pulls his lips together in a tight smile and focuses again on the phone. 

"What about Peter and Deaton?"

Scott explains they have put together a good number of possibilities for their ritual, and are working with Mason, Corey and Lydia through that list.

"I'm guessing it's a long list" Liam comments.

Scott answers that, unfortunately, it is. And they're back to the point where they don't know how to work faster, fast enough to catch the guy before the next step. Whatever that is.

For a wild moment, Theo wonders what he'll do if it's going to be Tara. Then he reasons that, whoever the next is going to be, they must share some traits with Laura Hale. If there is another resurrection, Theo bets it's going to be another supernatural. But what else? Male, female? Old or young? How important are the circumstances of their death? And the burial place?

"Does the Nemeton still play a role in this?" Liam asks, watching Theo with serious eyes, all but reading his mind.

"I think so" Theo answers, at the same time Scott says "I don't know"

There is a small silence, then Scott invites Theo to explain, and he does.

"We found three dead bodies, all very close to the Nemeton. Correct me if I'm wrong but, wasn't Laura Hale buried somewhere close to it, as well? My bet is, the next one to resuscitate, if there even is a next one, will be someone buried close to the Nemeton"

The silence that falls is heavy and uncomfortable. Theo closes his eyes, exhaling through his nose. Liam fidgets in his seat, looking halfway between grave and nervous. Even Scott, on the other side of the call, hesitates. 

"Uh, Theo..."

"He knows" Liam interrupts, unable to keep himself from confessing: "I've brought him. He knows"

Liam turns to look at Theo. They hold each other's gaze, unguarded and at the same time wearing a carefully neutral expression. Theo doesn't even know himself what he's thinking. Liam looks dangerously too close to comment anything like, if Josh and Tracy come back to life, at least Theo will be able to make it up to them. Maybe.

Which is bullshit, and thank god Liam doesn't really give voice to that. It's enough, for Theo, being able to read it on the beta's innocent face.

He sighs and turns to the windshield. He clasps his hands firmly around the steering wheel. Tara or Tracy and Josh? It's difficult for him to judge which resurrection would affect him less. But Tara isn't buried anywhere close to the Nemeton, and she died far away from its clearing. Theo is objectively sure it won't be Tara.

"Then again..." He murmurs.

He realizes he's spoken it out only because Liam startles the slightest bit. Theo glances at him, and Liam holds his gaze, silent and neutral, but mouth already moving as if he's buying the inside of his lip.

Theo scowls.

"Would you stop? You'll make it bleed" he reprimands him, irritated.

Liam does, still with his guarded expression. "Sorry" he apologizes, voice empty, too neutral and even his scent is kept in track.

Theo sighs in frustration. He should be happy, proud of knowing Liam has finally learned to reign in his temper, at least at times, and that it has been thanks to Theo, but, truth is, he's a little scared that he's lost the chance to always be able to smell Liam's mood. He's tempted to tell him to stop guarding his emotions when he is with him, but, Liam has told him exactly the same thing, not long ago, hasn't he? Wouldn't Theo be an hypocrite, asking the same? 

He sighs, looking in front of him. He relaxes his grip enough that he starts to gesticulate.

"Look, there are hundreds of people buried close to the Nemeton. Not only Tracy and Josh. There is no way to assume the next ones will be them, or even one of them. The fact that Laura Hale has been chosen as the first one to resuscitate tells us that the sorcerer wanted the Hales out of the game. This way, they won't be able to focus on the ritual"

He stops, and Scott fills the silence agreeing and telling him to go on. Liam's eyes are set on Theo.

"The first thing we have to find out is, what if Laura Hale was, actually, the final purpose of this all. But, as hot as I remember her to be, I don't think that this is the case"

Scott agrees again.

"This means we will have more resurrections. Three in total, I would say, because three were the victims"

Liam is biting his cheek again. Theo tries to ignore it. That, and the way his lips are going even redder.

"I agree, Theo, go on" Scott's voice comments.

"We have to think who is buried in the area, whose resurrection will affect the pack's focus and ability to find our guy. If the sorcerer knows about the pack, which we have established they do, then it's logical they'll try to stop us"

Theo wants to bit his tongue after saying 'us'. He should have said the lack not us. That's inclusive. Us means, we, working together. Theo and the pack. But it's too close to saying he is part of the pack.

Liam's heart skips a bit, but thank god at least he stops maiming his cheek. Scott hesitates before observing, 

"Theo, beside you, I don't know who else fits that description"

"Except I don't really, because I'm not part of the pack" Theo replies firmly.

Really, guys, come on. Malia was pretty adamantly clear on this point. How come you changed your mind - nevermind, don't answer that.

An unpleasant silence follows, but Liam - blessed, divine small mercies, he doesn't argue with Theo's affirmation. Theo might feel a jab, at the surprising lack of insistence that he consider himself part of pack, but, it's good. Better this way, with Liam not lying to himself.

Scott, on the other hand, doesn't give up so easily.

"Theo..." he starts, but then he sighs in surrender and drops whatever he was going to say, and thank you goddess of good fortune for that. It's already bad enough that Liam is showing signs of being about to forget Theo. He doesn't even want to approach the possibility Scott might be doing the same. 

'I need to teach you both some self-preservation sense' Theo thinks bitterly.

"Ok fine. Let's not get into that. Obviously Theo is too stupid to stop being stubborn about the obvious" Liam declares.

Theo raises a single eyebrow at the impressive amount of repetition and alliterations. Liam ignores him and goes on.

"Do you think the sorcerer would use Josh and Tracy to take out of the picture Corey and Mason?"

Ok fine, two can play this game: Liam ignores Theo? And Theo ignores Liam's previous comment.

"Mason, the sorcerer might see him as a danger, but, no offence, not Corey. And, resuscitating Tracy or Josh would put Corey in the corner but probably motivate Mason further, to solve whatever supernatural mess is hurting his boyfriend" Theo reasons.

Scott hums on the phone and agrees.

"I agree, Theo, but I don't think there are any other people we know buried close to the Neme...."

He stops. He never gets to end the Nemeton word. Theo swallows, perfectly able to picture Scott close his eyes and swear. Maybe even tear up.

Because in the woods, not too far from the Nemeton, there is a pretty cross. It has been made out of two arrows, artfully decorated and tied together. There is no name or picture, on what is painstakingly obviously a tomb, but you can find both on the cold stone of a grave in the cemetery of Beacon Hills. The casket in the grave in the cemetery was a shiny white, when they buried it, and empty.

Theo thinks he doesn't have the right to, but his voice goes soft and he says it anyway.

"I'm sorry Scott"

The body buried under the pretty cross made of arrows is Allison Argent's.

Xxxxx

Liam is in class. 

He's distracted, can't help rethinking about the conversation in Theo's truck, with Scott.

He knows how important Allison was for Scott. He didn't know she wasn't buried at the cemetery - there is actually where Liam has brought her flowers, a couple of time. 

'And she's not even there', he thinks, embarrassed and almost resented, except that he realizes how pointless that reaction is. 

He doesn't bother checking if the teacher looks his way, calls him or tells him to pay the attention he's visibly not giving to the lesson. He sits fat enough from the front that he can think, without being noticed. Especially by teachers who spend one hour looking at their own hand they're using to write on the chalkboard, for one. Entire. Hour.

As soon as he has seen Liam sitting down with that face, Mason has asked what's up. Liam has just shrugged, answered, I'll tell you later, and that was all Mason needed to understand he better leave his friend alone. Mason knows Liam enough to know when not to push, when Liam needs space, or time.

Blessed Mason.

From what Liam has gathered, if the plan is to fuck up with the pack, the mysterious sorcerer has two options to choose for the next resurrection. Either Allison, or Josh and Tracy. Well, not both Josh and Tracy: one or the other. If the gender pattern from the previous part of the ritual is of any indication, probably it will be Allison or Tracy. 

He frowns. Theo has made that point about the second girl being a succubus, and succubi being a sort of wild card in the gender regard, but, if succubi are to be considered both, then - well, it complicated things, as, from what Liam knows, neither Allison not Tracy were transexuals. Or maybe this 'it could be both' is completely wrong, or at least ignorable. 

Whatever the case, it's going to be Allison or Tracy, Liam is sure. Because the resurrection of either would paralize the pack, at least an important member. Theo might insist with his bullshit about not being part of the pack, but Liam knows that Tracy is just as much a good choice as Allison.

Bringing Tracy back to life means Theo out of commission, and if the sorcerer knows the pack, then they must obviously know how pivotal a source of knowledge Theo is for the pack. Tracy back to life means Theo out of the picture, and the pack and the BHPD losing their one and only expert on anything supernatural. Not only, without Theo they would have to do without the power of objectivism and cold logic, which help even when they don't come with a side of knowledge on supernatural stuff.

Then there is Corey, who admittedly doesn't play as much a central role but is usually the glue and Mason's best supporter, not to mention the provider of all the inputs and hints that have helped Mason draw whatever conclusion he has in the past occasions - with the Anuk'ite, for instance. And it's true, hurt Corey and you'll push Mason to solve this case even faster, but it might make him sloppy, too. 

And, if he has to be one hundred percent honest... Theo out of the picture means Theo in pain, and Theo in pain would affect Liam's objectivity and presence of mind, too. 

He sighs.

On the other hand, Allison. Bringing Allison back to life would have a devastating impact on the pack. It would knock down, at the same time, Scott, Lydia, Argent, probably also Malia and Stiles. Through Scott, even Liam could be affected, at least partially. 

But it could be dangerous, too: a sloppy Mason isn't as deadly as an enraged, pain-fuelled Chris Argent. 

Liam frowns at his desk and bites his lip. Fuck, he hopes it's not going to be Allison. But he can't picture what Tracy's return would do to Theo. He throws a glance to his phone, dark and locked, lying face upward close to the edge of the table. He's tempted to write to the chimera, something, anything, but he doesn't know what.

He meets Mason's questioning eyes. His best friend smiles, a tiny, lopsided thing meant to be reassuring and encouraging. Liam mirrors it with one just as warm, checks that the teacher is still looking anywhere but in his direction and picks up his phone. He starts typing quickly, updating Mason in the most objective way he can, sticking to facts. He ignores Mason's whispered shout of 'what the hell' and continues listing. 

Mason, to his credit, recovers quickly and starts soon contributing with the kind of useful questions you would expect from him. What's Deaton's idea for the ritual after this new development, where is Laura Hale, can she be trusted extension of the damage if Allison or Tracy come back to life...

Liam answers with all the precision and honesty he can. Then he leaves the page of the conversation, scrolls down a bit, hits a chat open. 

/I don't have practice today and my parents aren't home. Lunch at the bakery?/

He even adds a joined hands emoji.

After five, long minutes, when he's back to the chat with Mason and they're discussing Deaton's and Peter's theories, Theo answers. Two messages, one quickly followed by the other.

/Dork/

/Ok/

Liam smiles at the phone. He opens the next message without checking, and it's Mason. He still has that smile plastered on his face.

/Given the fact we were discussing atrocious techniques to murder people a moment ago, I'm guessing you're smiling like that because of someone else, and not my last message/

Liam blushes, but he doesn't stop smiling. In fact, it only grows.

/Yeah, you're right/

He can hear and feel Mason shake his head, with a fond expression that Liam guesses from his chemosignals.

/Dork/

/Come on, you too?!/ Liam types, snorting.

Mason sends a question mark. Before Liam can explain he starts typing again,and Liam stops.

/You were writing to Theo and he's called you the same, right?/

Liam blushes again,this time smiling with closed lips. He's realizing the extent of what he's just done. 

/Yes/ he answers. He hesitates.

/I might have invited him for lunch? I mean, I've asked him to go have lunch with me. At the bakery close to my place/

He frowns, definitely realizing what he, maybe, has just done.

/Do you think this count as a date?? Or just a 'you're my anchor, I'm yours, I want to help you' kinda thing?/

Liam might be starting to panic. Maybe. A bit, slightly. Increasingly becoming a lot. Holy shit. Oh Jesus, oh fuck, have I invited Theo on a date??

And Theo has said yes?!

Ok brain, no panic. Breath, Liam, breath. 

/Liam calm down/

Thank you Mason, as if I wasn't already trying to do that.

/To be a date, you have to like the person you ask/

Liam... pales slightly.

'Not helping, Mason' he thinks, finger hovering over the keyboard.

/I think in your case, and in Theo's, this counts more like a friendly reaching out. Maybe because of the anchor thing, yes/

'Oh thank god' Liam sighs in relief, feeling like a terrible weight has been removed from his stomach. He even slumps a bit in his chair. 

/Of course you know you won't be able to avoid my previous question forever, right?/ Mason adds.

Liam scrolls up. The weight is back. 

To be a date... He breathes through his nose. You have to like the person you ask. He's tempted to buy time and point out it's not a real question, but he doesn't. The question - in the real form a question should have, has already slithered his way into his brain. 

Does he like Theo?

He closes his eyes. Then he reopens them, because there are things he doesn't want to see, or to remember, and with his eyes closed there is no stopping them. 

The truth is, he doesn't know. He doesn't want to think about it. 

/Maybe it's just the anchor thing/ Liam replies, evasive.

Mason doesn't push, because he's great like that.

/That's cool then/ he says, understanding what hides behind Liam's words. 

Thank you Lord for Mason, really.

Xxxxx

Scott called for a pack meeting right after school. Liam and Theo were already at the bakery, so they decided to make good use of that fact and told Scott they could bring food for everyone. 

They ordered so much that the lady at the counter bursted into a very Mediterranean laugh and said something along the line of finally people eating enough as they should.

They haven't bothered pointing out they've ordered food for about ten other people, seven of which with a supernaturally enhanced metabolism. Theo carefully piles the food on the backseat, with Liam asking just how much Italian guys their age eat.

When they arrive at Scott's house it's already past two in the afternoon. Malia's eyes are stormy full of homicidal rage for the way she's been left waiting for food. She comes out as soon as she hears the engine of Theo's truck, barely waits till they're parked to all but tear a door off it, so wide she opens it.

"Malia!" Scott exclaims, torn between embarrassment, sympathy for Theo and his car and don't deny Scott, it turns you on, you found it hot. 

Malia grabs a panini and pushes it into her mouth, taking a bite so big she can hardly chew it, but at least, as soon as she has swallowed it, she sighs in relief, content. She hauls a big box with panini, wraps and salads on her shoulder and carries it inside.

Scott smiles ruefully to Theo, apologizing in her stead and picking up the other box.

Inside, Mason and Corey help disposing the food on some plates. Ms McCall is still at the hospital, and the sheriff is missing too, but Parrish has been sent here in his lieu, and he brings sodas from the kitchen. There's a laptop on the coffee table, with a Skype call already open, the desktop bright.

"Is that salad? Since when there's salad at pack meetings?" Stiles' tinny voice asks.

"Since my mom demanded so" Scott answers distractedly, depositing cutleries and glasses. 

A feminine, classy voice scoffs with elegance, if there even is a thing like scoffing with elegance.

"Just my luck, you start eating healthy when I'm miles away"

"You're more beautiful when you eat pizza, Lids" Stiles comments smartly.

Theo and Liam share disgusted expressions.

"Here, have some wrap" Theo says, loading Liam's plate with two wraps and a panini. He fishes some chips from the bowl Corey sets in front of him and puts them in Liam's plate, too. Then he also adds the required helping of green things Scott's mother demanded each of them eat daily.

"Thanks mom. And it's a piadini, not a wrap" Liam points out, giggling: "you should have learned it, after the ten minutes excursus the lady gave you"

Theo grabs two panini, a wrap, chips and some salad, and moves for the loveseat before Corey and Mason, or anyone else, can beat him to it and claim it. He plops down with a satisfied sigh and straightens his legs in front of him. 

"It's a piadinA, Liam. After a ten minutes excursus you should have learned it" he corrects him, parroting him and diving to take a huge bite.

"Since when do you guys eat so much Italian, anyway? Why, Scott, have you improved the food quality of pack meetings now? When I'm no longer there? Where's Domino pizza?"

Scott and Malia take their usual place on the couch. Liam pushes Mason and Corey toward the remaining spot left, big enough for them two to squeeze in it, and moves to sit down on the carpet, in the V of Theo's splayed legs, his back resting against the edge of the seat. 

Scott watches but doesn't comment, and so do Mason and Corey, on the sofa. Theo's legs go rigid for a moment, he bends one knee, but then he relaxes. He even switches hands to hold his plate and uses the clean one to ruffle Liam's hair. Liam, busy trying to stuff his face with food, growls as the movement sends hair into his eyes and panini as well, and tries to elbow the offending hand away.

"Guys? For real. Where's the pizza?" Stiles insists.

Malia snorts, unbothered.

"No you mean where is the shitty pizza. You're jealous because we get better food now" 

"Is this from that new place near Liam's? Is it good?" Lydia inquires.

They talk about food and school for a while, Parrish joining when he finds out that oh my gosh do you guys seriously have Mr. Bones, he was already too old to teach when I was attending.

"Wow. That's like, ten years ago" Mason mentally counts, eyes wide.

Parrish shrugs in the universal 'more or less' gesture.

When they're done with the food they throw away boxes and puts plates and cutleries in the dishwasher. That is more or less when the idle chatting does down, and most importantly when the screeching sound of tires filters through closed door and windows.

"Was that Derek?" Stiles guesses: "can he even drive at normal speed?"

There is another screeching sound, followed by a third one.

"Ok, who else has just arrived?" Lydia asks.

"One is Peter" Malia answers, slouching down on the sofa again.

"The other is Argent" Scott informs them from his spot close to the window where he's moved the curtain aside. He smiles, or, more likely, grimaces and waves at the hunter.

"Have you already told him?" Theo bluntly asks, ignoring the questioning stares he gets from around the room and the tinny 'asked what's from Stiles.

Scott nods, opening the door. He holds it open and motions someone to come inside. The pack fall silent, curious as to why Scott would be so formal... And many jaws fall to the floor, because, one thing is being told, but it's another thing entirely, seeing Laura Hale in the flesh, standing in Scott's entryway, Derek at her back, Peter a bit behind. 

Stiles asks again what is going on. He's ignored, but doesn't push. Theo figures out why, from the way Mason, the only one who has already recovered from the shock, is typing on his phone, obviously updating him and Lydia. 

"Welcome" Scott greets, almost formally, gesturing Laura to come in.

She does. She takes a few steps and stops, not really in the middle of the room but sucking up everyone's attention just as if she was. 

From his spot, Theo looks at her and Derek, taking the few steps that separate him from his sister. The similarity between the Hale siblings is incredible, physically, and sure, Laura is hot, as if hotness was inscribed in the Hale DNA, but, it's not that, the detail that strikes Theo. It's the way Derek lingers, protective and almost obedient, at her back, and the careful way Peter tries to hide the sea of guilt he's drowning into. 

There is something dangerous about her, Theo realizes: the predisposition to lead. She carries herself the way someone trained and brought up for leadership would. She's not like Scott, she would have probably never become a true alpha, but, even so, even now that she's definitely lost the alpha spark, you can still see she would have been a good alpha. 

Theo feels... The lowest type of scum, for thinking he could measure up with Scott or her. And it's also funny, to see that the alpha spark, the Hale alpha spark, has migrated from Talia Hale, to Laura... To Scott McCall, leaving the original Hale nucleus, because of Peter.

"Holy fucking... Shit, you've gotta be fucking kidding me!" 

Every set of eyes is drawn onto polite and compite Jordan Parrish, deputy at BHPD, who has just said in one single sentence more swear swords than anyone has ever heard from his mouth. With the only exception of Theo, maybe, because police deputies let go and vent a lot in the safety of their cars.

Laura Hale's dark blue eyes warm up a bit, and there is the shadow of a smile on her lips, when she looks at the deputy. 

"Hello stranger" she grins.

Parrish splutters and shoots up from his chair. He looks like he's seconds from a stroke, a fit of anger, or cry. He bolts to her and hugs her fiercely.

"You died! You fucking died!" he exclaims, letting go of her. He looks at her as if he's trying to explain her that she shouldn't be here. 

Laura quirks an eyebrow, nonchalant and sassy in a way that Theo will die before admitting he's jealous of, and pats Parrish on a shoulder.

"Excellent deduction, deputy. Also, believe me, I didn't plan that" 

And now everyone is looking, or staring or glaring at Peter. Who tries to roll his eyes but it's a bit ruined.

"Don't look away, dad. That's what happens when you kill someone you shouldn't" Malia chides, grinning in a creepily detached way.

Laura looks at her with interest, Malia looking back. They don't hide the fact each is studying the other, and the pack, Parrish included, waits the confrontation to be over.

You don't come back from death everyday, and you don't meet the daughter of the man who killed you, either. 

After a long time a tinny sigh comes from the laptop. 

"They're doing the Hales staring thing, aren't they" Stiles guesses. 

Behind Laura, Derek, of all people, snorts and smiles. She turns, eyeing him with a quirked eyebrow, and he shrugs.

"That was Stiles" he explains.

"Stiles" she repeats, eyes gleaming in recognition.

"The sheriff's son? You told him to cut your arm"

Derek snorts but nods. Stiles is laughing triumphantly.

"Hi! Yes, it's me. Hi Laura Hale, I hope you're better than your grumpy younger brother"

She grins at Derek and wiggles her eyebrows, but doesn't answer. Derek proceeds to introduce every member of the pack, and she raises comments in form of questions, to confirm what she remembers from Derek's stories. 

They're about to reach Theo, Liam and Parrish when she goes rigid and whips back to the door, with a glare that's even scarier and angrier than Derek's.

The door opens and a very tired Chris Argent comes in.

He freezes the moment he sees her, recognizing the you g woman in the middle of the room. He has been informed about her, it's obvious, but he still needs a minute to take in the fact that she's really there. Theo sees pain blooming in the hunter's eyes, partly from regret for what his sister has done to the Hales, partly because her presence must ring a hell lot of bells about the possibility of having Allison back, too.

"Hello Laura" he greets, polite and neutral.

She growls but catches Derek's eyes and the way he widens them. 

"Argent" she echoes, cold.

Parrish sighs. Parrish.

Theo has to fight down a smirk.

"Laura, why don't you and Derek sit here? So Mr. Argent can take a seat as well" he suggests, pointing to an empty chair in the opposite direction for the hunter.

Laura Hale stalks through the room and sits between the deputy and Derek, not too far from Theo and Liam. Peter follows, meek and silent, dragging a chair a bit farther behind his niece.

"Ok. Now that we're all here..." Scott starts.

Theo, having already been updated not long before, decides to zone out from what Scott is reporting to the pack. He'd rather focus on the Hales. Laura irradiates strength and power. Her clothes smell the neutral and impersonal way clothes do when they still reek of the artificial, air-conditioned environment of the store - they have been bought recently, obviously. 

Derek is completely focused on Laura, as if he wasn't able to think for himself anymore. Theo has to physically keep from frowning. He understands the guy, and the way having his dead sister back from death must be doing a number to him, but, fuck. Derek was a good asset and he's been screwed up, compromised beyond hope of recovery.

Peter, judging from the careful way he holds himself, the studied empty stare and even beat and scent, is just as screwed up. Only he doesn't, or probably can't, show it as Derek. 

Two good assets, the pack is left with maybe half, Theo judges.

'Well... That's not entirely true, is it'

Scott has moved on to the part where he's explaining the pack about the implications of having Laura here. She engages him in the conversation, becoming his main interlocutor, clear and focused.

They might have lost all of Derek and most of Peter, but they've gained Laura Hale. And she's good, Theo finds. She is very good. 

She brings Peter, Mason, Corey and Lydia in the conversation, inquiring about their hypothesis and theories on the ritual. Still too many possibilities are good, and there is no way they can work with this many variables - they have no other choice, but, again, to wait for the next move of the sorcerer.

But, Theo thinks, at least Laura is good at this.

Scott sighs, pointing out that their only chance is to wait. Liam, still between Theo's knees, growls softly in frustration. Theo - doesn't even think about it: he reaches out and strokes Liam's scalp. The effect on the werewolf is instantaneous: he can hear the beta's heartbeat pick up, can all but see him blush, even if he's looking the other way. Theo plays unaffected, but it's difficult, under the blatant or surreptitious staring they're getting from everyone.

Chris Argent exhales loudly, drawing the attention from the boys. He shakes his head, looking tired and much older than he is.

"I've got more bad news. I've found traces of Monroe and her hunters, they're holed up somewhere in Oklahoma"

"Great" Malia grumbles.

"Do we consider Oklahoma far enough not to have anything to do with this ritual?" Stiles asks.

Scott shakes his head, thinking.

"I don't know if we can. Is it a rumor? Do we have enough proof?"

Argent grimaces.

"I wish I could tell you for sure, Scott, but..."

"Hey, if I don't die again, and if I don't betray you in the next future, we could assume it isn't connected with her" Laura comments lightly.

Theo agrees.

Parrish swears, incredulous.

"You weren't this cynical when we were in school"

"I hadn't died yet" she deadpans.

Can't argue with that, Theo smirks.

Xxxxx

That night Scott assigns Theo and Liam to the task of patrolling the forest. 

He looks torn, anguished even, at the possibility of not being there, should Allison come back, but they have no way to be sure it will be her, the next one to resuscitate. 

So Malia suggests that he and Argent watch over the crossed arrows, while Theo and Liam wait at Josh and Tracy's tombs, in case the sorcerer decides to resuscitate a chimera.

Laura offers herself and Derek to patrol everything else, the preserve, the city. 

They agree.

It's a solution that splits the pain between more people, and one that hurts everyone involved. A man, a boy, a coyote, waiting at the grave with the arrows. A sister and a brother, running the woods and ending up at the burnt shell of their old house. 

And a blond boy, sitting between two piles of stones, looking calm and distant, like some sort of young god of the underworld, his fingers buried in the thick fur of the black wolf that lies at his feet.

Xxxxx

To Liam's credit, he holds on for the longest part of the night before surrending to sleep. 

It must be boring, waiting for hours on the damp grass, humidity of the night chilling you to the bones, with the only company of a black wolf. Not even the urgency of their task can stave off the boredom and fatigue that falls when keeping vigil over something. 

Something that doesn't move, breath or talk. Something that might start to, but they can't know for sure.

Laura and Derek stop to check on them not long after the first few hours. Nothing has happened by then, and the preserve is calm, as usually at night. The Hales leave after short, their eyes full of pain and scents of sympathy. Truly this night is proving too much, for all the people involved.

Theo and Liam watch them leave, Derek shifting into a wolf, Laura picking up his clothes and walking softly at his side. Liam is so silent, he just stares at the two dark figures until they've disappeared into the night, and waits further, to make sure they're really gone. Then he crawls even closer to Theo's lupine form and digs two hands into the black fur. 

He has chatted a lot, at first, when they've arrived. Theo had already shifted, he has as soon as he'd parked the truck, but Liam has talked anyway, alone, keeping them both company. Theo has appreciated the effort.

After some time, the echo of his voice must have started to bother the boy, followed only by silence, so he's stopped. When the Hales arrive, Liam's voice is croaky and hoarse. When they leave, he digs his hands in Theo's fur, and smiles, his voice a whisper.

"Must be really cool, to be able to shift into a wolf. This fur must keep you really warm"

Theo raises his muzzle from his front paws and stares at him. Liam is cold, there are goosebumps on his arms. He's wearing a t-shirt, for heaven's sake. Theo pushes his muzzle against a bare arm.

"Yes, in hindsight I should have probably taken warmer clothes" the boy admits, grimacing.

Theo moves his head in direction of where he has parked. He widens his eyes, trying to convey his message without words. Turns out it's not easy. 

Liam frowns, misunderstanding.

"No, I'm not leaving, if that's what you're trying to say" he protests with resolve.

Theo rolls his eyes and huffs. Ok, let's try this again. He points in direction of the truck, shakes himself, even if it means shaking Liam's hands away, and then headbutts Liam's bare arm.

Still frowning, Liam hesitates.

"You want... Me to leave? No, wait. Are you offering me your clothes?"

There you go, Little Wolf! 

Theo nods, holding the boy's eyes. Come on Liam. Don't go virginal maiden in me right now. What's with the blushing? You're freezing. Go put on my clothes: you can, you have to.

Which is how Liam spends the second half of the night wearing Theo's shirt over his own, and Theo's sweater over them. He even wraps himself up in the old blanket Theo has never gotten rid of.

Looking at him, silent, sleepy eyes and red lips (stop biting them, dammit!), covered in Theo's scent - well. It's good thing Theo is a wolf right now, because his brain registers the information the way a wolf would. So he doesn't get turned on, he just finds it very, very right. The way it's supposed to be.

After another couple of hours, more or less when the first, feeble rays of sunlight start to die the sky in guess of light colors, Liam falls asleep. He curls up on the blacker, closes his eyes and makes grabby hands at Theo.

"Come here. M not going to sleep. Just close my eyes for a moment"

He's falling asleep when while he's talking, Theo realizes, snorting. He plops himself down close to the boy, warming him up with fur and body heat. Liam's breathing evens out almost instantly. Theo rests his muzzle on his front paws and smiles, mentally at least, to himself. 

He doesn't know where this need to keep Liam safe comes from. He doesn't know why it's so important to see him warm, happy, well rested. Theo has... rarely had such protective instincts, usually because he would have to smother them. Can't be a ruthless killer and a provider or a carer at the same time.

Maybe the only time he has allowed himself to feel them, has even nurtured this push, has been when he's put together that motley crew of a pack that the chimera pack has been. He's chalked up the instinct to protect as an alpha thing, but, now that he knows he's never been an alpha in the first place... He wonders.

He wonders what it was, what it is. 

Is it a sign of the good left in Theo that Liam seemed to see?

Tu-tum.

The wolf freezes.

Tu-tum.

'Oh no' he thinks, turning to Liam.

Tu-tum. 

No, Liam's heartbeat thumps a different rhythm.

Tu-tum.

No. Please no. I'm not - I'm not ready. I'm not even part of the pack, it doesn't make sense! Why not Allison!

Tu-tum.

He smells fear. So much and so strong that it bothers even Liam, in his sleep. 

Tu-tum.

Theo shifts back. Naked, his teeth clatter for the cold, his own heart beats wildly in his chest, and there are tears on his cheeks. 

Tu-tum.

Another wave of fear. 

He detects which graves it's coming from.

Tu-tum.

Kill her, he thinks. Dig her up, kill her again, wake Liam and tell him she's attacked first. Make it sound like an accident. 

Liam still sleeps. He would believe you. He would believe to everything you say, now.

Tu-tum.

"Tracy" he murmurs, on his hands and knees in front of the grave. His voice is croaky and hoarse, like Liam's with the Hales, but Theo's is also broken, shattered by tears, pain, regret, fear.

Tu-tum.

Liam stirs.

"Tracy" Theo calls, a bit louder.

Tu-tum. Tu-tum.

Fear. Anger. Fear. Hope.

"...Theo?" comes a feeble voice from under.

Abruptly, Theo shoves at the pile of stones with his shoulder, pushing it down, out of the way. They scatter around, barely missing Liam by a breath and waking him up.

"What...!" the boy, startled awake, asks, disoriented with sleep.

"Theo!" Tracy's voice comes again.

She's crying. She's afraid.

"Tracy! I'm here, I'm here, hang on!" Theo almost shouts, clawing at the soil.

"Theo!" Tracy cries.

"Please, please please please Theo..."

Theo claws faster, Liam suddenly by his side, helping him removing as much dirt as possible, as fast as possible. 

"Please, Theo, please..." she's chanting softly.

The smell of tears mixing with dirt hits their noses, and Theo realizes that the tears are mixing directly with the earth, because there is nothing between. Which means that there is no wooden coffin to protect Tracy from meters of dirt.

"You didn't put her in a casket?!" Theo exclaims, suddenly enraged with Liam and shouldering him away.

The wolf tumbles on his side and looks at Theo with wide eyes. He doesn't utter a word about the fact that Theo didn't even bother burying her in the first place, after murdering her. 

Why, Liam. Why. 

Theo ignores him. Ignores the way Liam should be screaming back at Theo and doesn't, but looks at him, silent.

"Tracy, don't speak!" Theo shouts, focusing on not having Tracey die on him again, suffocating if she breathes dirt.

He shoves his right arm on, his hand finds something. Skin, he realizes. He tries to grab it, retracting his claws before they hurt her. Tracy is still crying softly, humming what is probably Theo's name.

Liam claws more earth away, Theo's hand closing around her arm. She wiggles and he manages to get a good hold of her upper arm, enough that he can try pulling up.

He hoists her out, Liam removing desperately fast the soil to facilitate Theo. When they get her arm out, Theo almost lets her go, but Liam claws around the point where Tracy's arm has popped out from,and Theo keeps pulling up, until they see her head, her cheeks stained by dirt and tears. She's pressing one hand on her mouth and nose to breath.

She's crying, so is Theo. Even Liam is.

Theo hauls her entirely out and falls on his butt, dragging her against his body. She hugs him, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

Theo encircles her with his arms, keeping her safe, feeling nauseous at the memory of what he's done, the last time he's held her like this.

He pushes his cheek against the side of her head, looking at Liam. The blond boy, silent, on his knees, arms covered in sooth.

Theo feels like being punched in the gut by the hammer of god. Liam has stopped crying, looks at Theo and Tracy the way a Christian god is supposed to look at his children. 

"Sssht" Theo whispers against Tracy's ear.

"I'm here. I'm here"

"I love you" she murmurs, sobbing broken and in tears, muffled against the warm,naked skin of Theo's shoulder.

Theo looks at Liam, at the stormy eyes of the blond wolf. His voice fails him, and maybe that's better. Over Tracy's head, crying, Theo trembles and mouths, silently.

"Help me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom! Cliff hanger much? Yeah, sorry.  
Also, this chapter is a bit long... It took me ages to upload it, but here it goes. I'm sure there are loads of typos and I apologize in advance, I'll try to get to them while rereading. Just, not now. My brain is ...which brain?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who do you make deal with, when you are the devil?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the smut in.

Liam is messed up.

There isn’t a gentler way to say it, just like there is only one way to describe the way he’s reacted the night before: completely on autopilot mode.

Weird. He didn’t even know he could ever rely so much on autopilot. And yet, it has happened, whether he knew it, he anticipated it, he even dreamed it possible, or not. Just like many other things, lately.

“Liam, are you even listening?”

“Leave him alone, Mason. He can’t hear you”

“Shit, guys, are you sure this is normal? He looks stoned”

“He’s not stoned, Nolan” Mason glares at the other human.

Nolas raises his hands: “Hey, it was a legit question. I mean, look at his face. Or, is this, I don’t know, a werewolf thing?”

“Of all the bullshit I’ve heard from you, really…”

“Corey- Corey, calm down. Please calm down. Nolan, stop being an idiot. He’s just seen a person resuscitate. How would you react to that”

“Yes, well, but it wasn’t the first time, was it? And he didn’t take it this bad, last time” Nolan insists.

“What do you even know-”

“Corey, please” Mason interrupts his boyfriend again. The chameleon chimera pulls his lips in a thin line and exhales loudly through his nose – as loudly as he can, given that the entire conversation is a series of hurried, half whispers.

“Sorry Mason, you’re right” Corey apologizes.

Liam ignores them. He ignores them completely, just like he’s ignoring everything else. They are in class, and he hasn’t opened his book. He hasn’t even bothered opening his bag, actually, and he looks into nothingness, spaced out. Mason, Nolan and Corey whisper all around him, sitting enough far in the back that Ms. Evans, smart woman that she is, can pretend not to hear or see them. She has noticed the way Liam’s eyes are unfocused, much have noticed and understood the state of mind the young, blond werewolf is in. And, because she is a smart woman and she knows teenager, she doesn’t bother Liam. She must have decided that blatantly ignoring her lesson today from the four of them is justifiable, and the excuse must be written somewhere on Liam’s face.

Liam appreciates. Because he is not as out of it as people think, and he notices the way the teacher is avoiding picking one of them for a question, and even casually pretend not hearing and seeing, when Mason smacks Nolan on the back of his head after he says something stupid – although, it’s not the boy’s fault if he really doesn’t know shit, right? If he only knows what Monroe has bothered teaching him.

Liam thinks Ms. Evans might be his new favorite teacher, even if she doesn’t teach history. From time to time she throws a glance at Liam, only to him, and just to make sure he’s not too upset. Liam can smell her scent, the way she is slightly worried for him and has consciously decided not to bother him – he should bring her flowers, he decides. When he’s on his right state of mind, he should thank her for her amazing tact. There aren’t many people who would understand a teenager – a supernatural one, at that, in such a tactful way.

Lilies, maybe, if roses might be a bit too over the top.

Liam is… in a state. A messy, complicated one, one that is difficult enough to feel, let alone describe or catalogue. Which complicates things horribly, because, he’s not even sure if he’s growing angry or sad, and anyway, anger is usually the answer his brain chooses, whatever the feeling he’s drowning in, so, the thing is, Liam knows he needs to keep himself in check for that. But, it’s a bit difficult to do it when you are completely spaced out, and you can’t even focus on things.

There are moments he wants to cry, only to realize right after that he can’t, because he has cried all his reserve of tears for the next year and a half, in just one night. No, a morning. A couple of hours, really.

He’s not even sure why.

Those hours are burned into his memory. Yet the funny thing is that, as much as he can never forget them, he also doesn’t seem able to bring them up, again. Something in him, probably a sense of self protection, stops him. But he knows he has to, because someone needs to tell Scott, someone needs to speak with him and tell him what has happened, must tell Scott, Mason, the pack. Can’t get no sorcerer without informing the people who are supposed to find him. And, in as much pain as Liam is now, he’ll be damned if he’ll leave that to Theo.

Theo has… already too much to think about.

The memory of the chimera in tears floats up, and Liam would really, really love being able to cry. But he can’t. So he closes his eyes and tries to stop the rest of the memories from floating up with it.

Xxxxx 

Theo hugs Tracy to his chest. He’s naked, crying, his teeth are clattering for the cold and the shock, and he’s mouthing over Tracy’s head.

Help me.

Yes, Liam’s brain immediately accepts – but how? He gapes for a moment, stunned by helplessness.

Then something clicks, his emotions switch off entirely, and an unfamiliar wave of calm and practicality falls over him. He doesn’t feel pain anymore, he stops crying. He is suddenly reduced to nothing more than an empty puppet, a doll that moves obeying someone else’s lucid objectivity.

It would be scary, if he could realize that it is going on in the first place.

He picks the blanket up, kneeling close to the chimeras. Tracy is still straddling Theo’s naked lap, and hides her face in the crook of his neck.

“Tracy” Liam murmurs, soft and gentle: “Tracy, Theo is freezing. Let him put this on” he tries to persuade her.

She whimpers, hugging Theo harder.

“Tracy” Liam tries again, almost touching her with his raised hand. Bad move: she whips back to him and snarls, fangs out, pupils split.

Liam, startled but too emotionally numb to show it, withdraws his hand. Some objective part of his brain observes that she still is a kanima, which probably explains why Theo came back from hell without her powers. He moves back, enough to be out of the way of her venom dripping claws, but still close enough that he can pass the blanket over just by extending one arm.

“Hey, no” Theo stops her, grabbing her wrist. He has stopped crying but his eyes are still red, his cheeks stained.

“We don’t hurt him” he says. It sounds almost like an order, with his firm expression, but his voice is too soft to really be one. Tracey growls again but nods, shifting a little and setting back in his lap.

Theo swallows, clenches his jaw to stop the clattering of his teeth. He lets go of Tracy’s wrist and extends one hand to Liam. The boy passes him the blanket, the quickest attendant in the world. Theo almost smiles at him. Almost.

“Tracy, let me up” he tries to convince her with a soft, persuading voice, smiling tentatively. He sounds calm and in control when each one of them is fully aware he is absolutely not. No one is.

She smiles back, blushing, probably realizing only in that very moment that she’s sitting on a very naked Theo Raeken. She gets on her knees, lifting up from his lap, but she doesn’t stand. Instead, she stops, hands on his cheeks, and she gazes deep into his green eyes, caressing his face. Neither Theo nor Liam can understand what she is thinking, but after a few seconds she smiles, to Theo, herself or both, and stands up. She offers one hand to Theo and doesn’t bother turning the other way, to give him some privacy. Although, she does keep her eyes trained on Theo’s face, and doesn’t look down when he bends.

Her blatant show of ignoring Liam, the way she is ignoring any claim Liam might feel to defend Theo’s privacy – it should spark a rightful spark of anger in Liam, except he doesn’t really feel it, because the anger shoots through this body, but this body, right now, it doesn’t feel like it belongs to him. He is rationally aware of it, but doesn’t really feel it. It’s the anger someone else feels. Theo, caught in a similar dissociative state, isn’t bothered either, by her insistence, by the possessing way she’s treating him with. He just gets up and wraps himself in the blanket.

When he’s done, Tracy extends her arms in front of her. Theo picks her up, bridal style, obediently, and walks silently to his truck, Liam by his side. It’s the last they speak: something sucks their voices out of their throats, severing their vocal cords.

There is no way to convince Tracy to let go of Theo, and Liam can’t drive, so they end up with Theo driving, Tracy sprawled over him, sitting diagonally in his lap, Liam on the passenger seat, occasionally helping with the gears. Even persuading Tracy to wait a few seconds on the driver seat while Theo puts clothes on requires multiple attempts – she would just climb back on Theo. But Theo hasn’t protested: just hugged her for a few seconds, picked her up again and placed her on the driver seat, quickly going back to his redressing process – once again assisted by Liam, who passes article after article.

They drive to Theo’s place. When he kills the engine, Theo turns to Liam, realizing all of a sudden that the boy lives at a walking distance of twenty minutes from there. He looks at him with an apologizing expression, and Liam just smiles, holding stare with the green eyes, and shakes his head. He gets off the truck and walks away. He doesn’t even realize he has just seen where Theo lives – a mystery he has tried to solve many and many times. The irony: he finds out the day he is too out of it to appreciate the discovery.

Liam doesn’t know how he gets home, too busy walking, brain on autopilot, conscience and emotions progressively reactivating. It takes him another long while before he becomes aware of what is going on around him, and by then he has already started crying, emotions and feelings bleeding back through the thick fog of this dissociative condition of his.

He doesn’t see, doesn’t know that Theo brings Tracy upstairs, once again carrying her bridal style – it’s like she is tricking him into fulfilling any fairytale fantasy she might have ever had. He doesn’t see and doesn’t know that, door closed behind them, Theo deposits her on the couch and ends up dragged down by the tight grasp she still has on him. He strips them both and sits them in the tub, still carrying her. Tracy is like glued to him, and rests her head on his shoulder while he washes them. She cries, from time to time, others she smiles, all the while caressing his face and murmuring, I love you.

Liam doesn’t see, doesn’t know that Theo brings her to bed, rolls both them up in blankets and waits for her to fall asleep. He doesn’t see and doesn’t know that, only then, with Tracy in a deep slumber, safely tucked against his chest, Theo starts crying, terrified, drowning in guilt, scared shitless at whatever he has seen in Tracy’s pretty eyes.

Liam is busy crying his own share of tears. He doesn’t know what Theo is afraid of.

Xxxxx

Liam snaps out of it the moment the school bell rings. It’s an almost magic moment: the loud ring, and, snap! He’s back in his body.

The first thing to come back is anger. It avalanches on him, and he swallows, struggling to push it all down without let it drag him along with it. He focuses on breathing, on the sound his breath makes, on the one other people do, their voices, the way their hearts beat, the way they breath. There are many noises around him – it makes it all, at the same time, easier and more difficult.

He makes eye contact with Mason, almost inadvertently, and it’s enough to hook his best friend, to get his full attention on Liam’s every movement. Liam picks his bag up, seeing only in that very moment that he has packed it with all the wrong type of books, and he marches out of the room. Mason, Corey and Nolan hurry after him.

“Liam…” Mason starts, once they have all caught up with him. He hesitates, knowing from Liam’s blank expression that he should expect an exploit of anger and violence pretty soon.

“Come with me” Liam orders, interrupting him.

Thank you Mason, for knowing me, but I’ve made it this far, I’ve gotta keep it together for a little longer. Just follow me.

He doesn’t even bother checking if they do, he just heads outside, walking so rapidly Nolan, the last one, is almost running. Liam stops only when he deems they’re far enough from the main building of the school, and halts so suddenly his friends almost topple over, chests against backs. Liam whips his phone out from his pocket, starting a call on speaker before anyone can utter a word.

The phone rings in the relative silence. His friends look at his and each other’s faces, not daring to speak.

“Liam?” Scott’s sleepy voice asks.

“Hi Scott” Liam greets him. He wishes his voice hadn’t come out so harsh, but, too late now.

“Liam? Are you ok? You and Theo didn’t call or text, this morning… nothing has happened with Allison. I thought… I thought everything was fine..?”

Liam swallows. His eyes flash golden and he closes them. He tries to breath to calm down.

“I was wrong, wasn’t I” Scott comments, voice sounding like he’s quickly waking up.

Liam reopens his eyes and it’s frustrating: he can feel them still burning gold.

Mason darts one hand forward.

“Ok, Liam, why don’t you let me hold the phone. Hi, Scott” Mason suggests, taking the phone from Liam’s hand.

“Hi Mason. What’s going on? Where’s Theo?” Scott asks, definitely awake now.

“At home” Liam answers, clenching his teeth. His eyes are back to blue, but he still feels furious. He has the feeling he will be, from now on, for a long time. He doesn’t even know why, or at least he’s not entirely aware. Why should he be angry now. Now that he’s anchor…

“At least, I think” he adds, snorting.

"Ok. Are you alright? No, ignore that. You're obviously not. What happened?"

Scott moves, probably sitting up. They hear stirring sounds and then Malia, asking softly what is going on. Liam closes his eyes and breathes. The sun. The moon. Theo, naked, hugging Tracy.

"How disappointed in me would you be if I slaughtered Tracy and put her back in the ground"

Wow. 

He flashes his eyes open, feeling like he's just been dumped under a freezing cold shower. He didn't - he didn't mean to say that. Surprised into calm, or startled into it more likely, he can feel the anger dims down. His friends look at him with wide eyes, and he understands the shock. he kind of feels it, too. He exhales slowly.

"Very" Scott answers his not-really-a-question, all firm and serious. 

Liam nods.

"Thought so" he laconically comments.

"Liam, what the hell?" Corey exclaims: "Tracy is back?"

"Well, I guess she is, isn't she" Mason calmly observes, almost deadpanning, his dark eyes set on Liam.

"Wait. Who, Tracy? Not Tracy Stewart, right?"

"Nolan... we'll explain later, but, yes. Her" Mason answers, dismissively and a tad patronizing, to the former hunter. To his credit, Nolan shuts up.

Liam breathes through his nose. Go back, make a list of events. Come on Liam, you've got this. He nods to himself, bracing as if he was about to jump. Figuratively speaking, he most definitely is.

"She's come back. This morning. I was... I was sleeping, I must have fallen asleep barely a few minutes before she did. The wave of fear woke me up. Well.. and Theo, calling her name"

"Did you see the sorcerer?" Scott asks.

"No. That's the thing: nobody was there. He... this guy doesn't need to be close to the grave, when they resuscitate someone"

Silence.

Corey swears. Mason nods in agreement, pulling his lips in a thin line of disappointment. 

"This complicates things incredibly" Scott murmurs. From the sound of his voice, Liam can picture the alpha pinching his nose. 

Liam swallows. Go on, go on, he tells himself.

"Theo was..." but his voice fails him, suddenly going hoarse. He has to clear it a couple of times, before being able to continue: "it shook him" he says, cutting it short.

"No shit" Mason mutters.

"Wait, but... where's Tracy now? Liam, tell me you haven't left her alone with Theo" Corey almost seethes, spitting out the name of the other chimera and looking incredibly mad. 

Liam, fury mounting on, wonders if mason will forgive him for breaking his boyfriend's nose. He probably would. It's not like Corey wouldn't heal. Mason, aware of Liam's internal struggle, puts a hand on Corey's arm, watching the blond werewolf with a serious expression. Liam shakes with anger and keeps his eyes set on the phone, hoping it might keep his cool easier. Ignoring Corey's words is a bit harder, but, hey, you do what you have to do.

"Scott, I think she's screwed up in the head" he comments, easy and plain, as if he was giving a report. He is, kind of.

Mason pushes Corey down when he, predictably, doesn't like the remark and tries to intervene. Liam ignores him again and goes on with his report. Like a soldier, Liam, focus on just giving your report. He almost hears the calm, encouraging voice of his stepfather saying, come on, kiddo, you can do this. 

"She kept hugging Theo and telling him she loves him. He was naked, sitting in the dirt, and she wouldn't leave him, not even for two seconds, to let him put clothes back on."

"Wait, why was Theo naked?" Mason inquires, frowning.

"He was a wolf. He shifted back to get her out" Liam answers - which, really, it's a shitty explanation but Mason gets it, because he's Mason, and he doesn't need logic to tie together Liam's usually broken series of cause and consequence information. 

Liam has a flash of the moment he has just described, and Theo, mad at him, tears in his eyes, the moment he realized there was no casket to protect Tracy from the literally breathtaking pressure of meters of soil over her. He is about to comment what a brilliant idea the pack has had, putting the bodies of the chimeras directly in the ground, six feet under, with no coffin to shelter them, but he stops. It's not like they could have expected one of them to resurrect, right? And, even if Theo had worried about Tracy suffocating under that, it had made dragging her out definitely easier. Liam wonders how harder it must have been for Laura - if Laura was in a coffin, that is.

He thinks about Tracy's split pupils and the way she growled at him. At the way she quietened as if she had never attacked in the first place, after Theo scolded her - we don't kill him. If Theo hadn't stopped her, Liam is sure he would have ended up with a nasty case of paralysis induced by kanima poison. And she stopped, blindly obeying Theo's order. We don't kill him, we don't hurt him, don't attack him. And she's listened to that, because it has been Theo saying it. 

Now, Liam trusts Theo, he does. Which is partially the reason why Theo is mad at him and rambles about not deserving forgiveness, but. Liam is sure that, notwithstanding the trust he puts in Theo now, if he had been the one resuscitating and been rescued by the guy who is basically the reason he's been dead in the first place - well. Liam isn't that sure he would blindly follow any order from his former killer. But Tracy, she has. Has she always been this crazy? Because this blind trust, this blindly following whatever order comes from Theo, that can't be healthy and can't be sane. Has she always adored him to the point of insanity?

Liam closes his eyes, shaking his head. He might cry right now, if he hadn't cried out all his tears earlier that morning. It's not that he's disappointed that Tracy didn't came back hating Theo, the way Laura Hale does with Peter. But, damn, that makes sense. On the other hand, Tracy's case, come on. He kills you, he brings you back, and instead of, I don't know, clawing his face off at least a little bit, you hug him as if your life depended on it (hah, the pun!) and confess your love for him? When he is literally the reason you were dead? When the last time you have seen him he was killing you?

Is it because she thinks it's Theo, the reason she's back to life?

Maybe. And maybe Liam shouldn't feel this insane pull to go and make sure she knows the truth, that no, it's just a mistake, a coincidence, a case that she is back and no, it has nothing to do with Theo so can she please just let the fuck go of Theo and stop clinging to him as a...

"Oh my god" Liam whispers, eyes flashing open. He's horrified, and it shows on his face. Embarrassed but too scared to care, he raises his head to meet Mason's eyes. Meeting Mason's all knowing eyes. 

'Am I jealous?' is the question he doesn't have to voice. Mason, being Mason, knowing Liam the way Mason does, doesn't need to hear it, because he's understood what Liam worries about, anyway. And he shakes his head, answering to the terrified, horrified question Liam's eyes rendered, sparing him the embarrassment of saying it in front of the others. Especially Corey, mad as he is now. 

"I think it's an anchor thing, Liam. You are just protecting him"

"If by him you mean Theo, I hope you don't mean from Tracy" Corey intervenes, casting a careful glance to Mason and not managing to hide the anger in his voice.

Mason sighs. He's about to reply but Scott beats him to it.

"Liam, wait. Laura almost tore Peter's face off. Derek said he had to tackle her before she killed him. Which makes sense, given that Peter has killed her first. Now, I don't get it. Why has Tracy... you know..." Scott hesitates, looking for words that no, Scott, they won't come, because there is no way to say this in a nice way.

"Glued herself to Theo like an octopus, even if he's the guy who killed her?" Malia finishes for him. Her voice is now clear enough - she must be sitting close to Scott and the phone. 

Liam wiggles his eyebrows. He can't bring himself to say this.

"She thinks she is back because of Theo" Mason explains, giving voice to Liam's eloquent expression. 

"That fucker...." Corey starts, misunderstanding.

"It's not Theo's fault" Liam stops him, flashing angry, yellow eyes at the chameleon: "he was the only one there, beside me. Tracy had no reason to believe I would resuscitate her" he answers hotly.

"But she must have died hoping that Theo would. Another time" Mason draws to the conclusion, closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly, as if refusing to believe it. He sounds calm, but his expression doesn't hide the way he is a tad horrified at the inevitable conclusion that he himself has just reached.

He sighs, and a relative silence falls. They look in different directions - down, far away, at each others. Scott and Malia are just as silent, and after a while Nolan snorts and smiles softly, ruefully. 

"Wow. This sounds like a real mess" he whispers.

Mason nods, pulling his lips in a thin smile: there is no other way to sum it up. Liam doesn't reply, focusing on Corey. In front of him, the chimera holds his stare, and they are glaring at each other in anger, and Liam - the sun, the moon, the tru- but the truth is, that he really, really wants to punch Corey in the face, okay, because he wasn't there, he hasn't seen the shattered look on Theo's face and hasn't seen the careful way Theo has held Tracy, and he is simply assuming. That Tracy is the poor, innocent victim (which, fine, she is, or at least has been) and Theo is the bad guy (same here). But Theo.. Theo has broken, after that. He has been reduced to pieces and Liam doubts the shards could ever be glued together. And Tracy...

"Maybe she's just crazier than we thought" he offers, trying to stay calm and reach out for Corey, but also fully aware that he's kind of insulting Tracy and that's not the way he's supposed to reach out for Corey's point of view. 

Malia snorts.

"She's never been sane, Liam. She has always followed Theo, without giving a fuck what he made her do. She has always completely been out of it" she says, brutally honest the way she often is. 

"Malia, Theo killed her" Corey insists.

"Yeah, except that doesn't really help her case, does it? Theo killed her, and she comes back and the first thing she does is telling the guy who killed her that she loves him. How is that sane?" Malia deadpans. 

"It's clear she really thinks Theo is the one who's brought her back. It has already happened once, after all. It would make sense, her assuming that" Scott muses.

"May I remind you all something?" Mason intervenes, index fingers raised in front of him to call their attention.

"She was a kanima" Mason observes, once everyone is looking at him, and Scott and Malia are listening. 

"Still is" Liam specifies.

"Even more the case, then. Not only Tracy was obviously in love with Theo before he killed her. And fine, we might even consider she might have issues... but, more importantly, let's not forget what she was. Because that could be our missing explanation as for why she would follow Theo, even if he's killed her"

Mason wiggles his eyebrows, hinting. Scott sighs, understanding Mason's implicit point.

"You think she sees Theo as her master" he concludes.

"Ew" Malia comments, not entirely joking.

Liam snorts, thinking about Theo, naked, and Tracy squeezing her arms around his neck.

"Don't worry, Malia. If there is someone who is about to exploit that bond in a sexual way, it looks like it'll be sooner Tracy than Theo"

"How can you say that. How can you defend him like that. How can you so blindly believe in Theo" Corey asks, more as if he was demanding to know than simply inquiring. He sounds angry, and the disbelief is not difficult to read on his face. Mason puts himself between Corey and Liam, his back at his boyfriend. He stretches out the arm whose hand is not holding the phone, keeping Corey behind him, but also shielding him from Liam. 

"Ok, how about we stay calm"

"Go, Corey" Liam interrupts, not even taking offence at the way Mason knows that Corey needs protecting from him - he's too full of anger not to recognize that Mason's idea is actually a good one.

"Go. See for yourself" he goes on, goading and daring Corey. He looks straight into the chameleon's eyes and is almost amazed at how calm he feels. he's burning with rage, so where does this calm come from? It must be a fake, a lie, a bubble of stillness that precedes the storm. Shit, yes: this is a new stage of anger, when he's burning with it but he can't even feel it any longer. He's locked out of the control room again, has dropped into a dissociative state that tricks him into believing he's calm and in control, when actually he is very, very, very close to lose it. And probably tear Corey in two.

He looks at the chimera and speaks in a soft, sickly sweet voice.

"Go, look for yourself. Go see how not innocent your precious friend is. Go, see and come back and tell me how bad Theo is. There is no way I can convince you otherwise, so go. Take Mason with you. Take Nolan! Nolan, you can be our referee, right? Impartial, you can be impartial. Come on, Corey" he finishes hotly.

Then he turns and storms away, ignoring the voices, his phone still in Mason's hand, his bag falling from his should when he's walked a few meters away from his friends...

xxxxx

"There is... Why there is a fucking hole in the fucking wall of my fucking gym! Why! Dunbar!!"

Coach Finstock yells on top of his lungs. Liam blushes, rubbing at the back of his head. Students have gathered around coach, some of them already looking Liam's way even before coach called his name out, guessing on their own. Almost everyone present is stifling laughters, whether they wear impressed and amused expressions or they stare in surprise at the hole in the wall. 

Three boys stand unimpressed at Liam's side - or, well, two non impressed, the third one, being Nolan, having risked once already to end up like that wall, is a tad more pale and affected than the other two. 

"Damn. So glad it wasn't me" Corey comments, nonplussed and neutral.

Liam blushes more, smiling ruefully. For all that he still resents his friend for doubting Theo, he really is embarrassed at having lost it so much that he has punched a hole into a wall. 

"Sorry, Corey"

"It's fine. I'm sorry too. And I will take your suggestion. I won't stop worrying anyway, until I've checked that Tracy is fine" Corey replies, honest and calm.

Liam nods. He's tempted to ask that he check on Theo, too, but he doesn't. Mason snickers, focused entirely on the scene in front of them. Coach is alternating between angry shouts at Liam for ruining school property, particularly so because they need it for practice, and squealing excitedly about how strong Liam is and yes, we will destroy the other teams, we will, back to what the fuck Dunbar, what does your mother feed you and how do we use this terrifying skill of yours. 

It's, objectively, kinda funny, the way coach Finstock usually is.

"Coach is having a fit" Mason snorts out in laughter.

Corey guffaws, Nolan snorts loud, and Liam gapes in embarrassed delight at his unplanned achievement - then they join Mason, laughing.

xxxxx

Corey is silent. 

Mason closes the front door of his house and walks fast to where his boyfriend is waiting, at the bottom of the front steps. 

He looks pretty upset. Mason frowns and hugs him. Corey allows him, but it takes him a moment before he reciprocates. When he does, he lets out a sigh, resting his head on Mason's shoulder, almost melting onto him. Mason caresses the back of his head. His hair is cropped short there, the skin so smooth.

"Do you want to come in?" he offers.

Corey shakes his head and retreats, taking a step back but not letting go of Mason's hands. Mason likes it, interpreting as a good sign. He likes a little less that Corey looks down, instead of meeting his eyes, but he doesn't press, not when he notices the discouraged, pained even expression on his boyfriend's face.

"No, thanks. Let's go to the park. Do you mind?"

Mason smiles, warm and so in love.

"Why would I?"

He loves the lopsided grin that he manages to snatch from Corey at that. They walk to the park - a small patch of green grass with no tree. There is a red, plastic slope and a wooden bench. The wood is half rotten, but they don't care: it's the place they always go, when they need to talk, alone.

They sit on the bench, Mason waiting patiently that Corey find whatever words he is looking for. It takes him almost en entire minute, but finally Corey exhales, dragging out air in a long, controlled sigh. 

"You know, it used to be simple, even before. I was with Theo, I was supposed to be his pack, but I knew I couldn't trust him. I knew better than to believe him, or to put any faith in the rare moment in which he gave a fuck about me or the others. I always knew he was protecting me because he had a reason to. I never lost sight on who was good and who was bad. And if something went wrong, I knew who to blame"

Corey talks with his eyes on the hands in his lap, upset and confused. Mason feels the irresistible urge to punch in the face whoever caused Corey to feel like this, even if that would probably mean Theo, Liam or Tracy. Corey takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I know that before, with Liam... I know I sounded like I thought Tracy was almost a saint. But I've never thought she was. I have always known she wasn't good, that she was barely better than Theo. She was loyal, but only to Theo, not to us. She never cared who got caught in the fire, as long as Theo's plan was carried out. She's never cared about me or Josh. Her priority has always been Theo. Not even his plan, just Theo. Honestly, now that I've seen her, I wonder if she ever even cared that Theo killed her, too"

Mason doesn't comment, even when Corey stops again, shakes his head. Silently, Mason agrees with him. When the chimera turns to search for his eyes, Mason silently tells him that he agrees on every word. Corey grimaces.

"Now, it's different. After the hunt, the hunters, the Anuk'Ite... Seeing Theo take Gabe's pain... I've never trusted Theo, not even after he's shown us he could care. Because I thought, so now he can care, good, but it doesn't mean he will. It doesn't mean he's changed"

Again, Mason silently agrees. He knows Liam has a different opinion on this, but Mason likes to think that he and Corey manage to have a more objective grasp on reality, when it comes to Theo. Corey exhales and shakes his head in defeat.

"Mason, you should have seen him. I mean... we have seen Theo act, ok. He was good at it. He was too good at it. So much that till now, we have always wondered, is this Theo acting again, to get in our graces again? Well. I know the answer now. He wasn't acting. When he came back, with Liam - he wasn't acting. But he is now. With Tracy"

Corey swallows a lump in his throat, staring off at nothing, eyes trained on the roofs of the houses but not really seeing them. 

"What do you mean?" Mason asks, after a while.

Corey laughs bitterly.

"He's acting now. With Tracy. He puts up an act - and he's doing it in the most terrible way, really. He's done way better in the past"

He swallows, shakes his head and attempts a smile.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm not making any sense. I'm still shocked" he explains.

Mason smiles warmly and holds his hand, encouragingly. Corey looks down at their joined hands and intertwines their fingers. He looks up, meeting Mason's eyes, and relaxes enough to manage a real smile.

Then he breathes out and starts again.

"Tracy knows it wasn't Theo to bring her back. She says she has heard a voice, a male voice, that wasn't Theo. Before she actually heard him"

"The sorcerer!" Mason exclaims.

Corey nods.

"He must have been who knows how far. Liam and Theo didn't see anyone near the graves. Or, as Theo has pointed out, he could have been right beside them, under another magic barrier"

Mason nods. He is a bit impressed, he's not going to lie: it takes some gut, to pull a stunt like that, doing magic, difficult magic, exactly under the noses of two supernatural creatures who are able to see, feel and smell magic. And to hide it with other magic... It's almost a paradox, and a genius plan.

"This is definitely a professional" he observes.

Corey agrees. 

"The point is, Tracy knows. She knows that she isn't back because of Theo. But she doesn't care, she clings to him and doesn't let him out of her sigh - it's incredible" 

He shakes his head, looking at a loss for words. Mason... well. He can't say he is surprised, because he really isn't. As Corey has said, Tracy might have been a sweet girl, but being a kanima has definitely screwed her ethics up. And who knows: maybe even as a sweet girl her moral compass was a tad loose. The fact that she became a victim of Theo's ruthlessness doesn't make a saint out of her - although it kind of does make Theo a monster. 

"She kept grabbing Theo and looking at him, deep in the eyes and telling him she loves him. Can you imagine? Whatever he was doing, every five minutes she would grab him, force him to stop whatever he's doing, just to tell him I love you"

Corey shakes his head and snorts, grimacing in a twisted parody of a smile.

"Remember that time we watched Misery? Well, Tracy gave me the same vibes the crazy lady in that movie did"

Corey looks worried, and as creeped out as any normal person would be, at least in Mason's opinion. He screws his face up and considers the facts in silence for a moment, trying to be objective. 

"That is a bit over the top, as reactions go, but, she has been back from death only for a few hours. Probably she can't believe she has a second chance to tell Theo she loves him. Maybe even have a second chance with Theo at all, and she is just catching up with lost chances. It could even be to make sure he doesn't kill her again"

But not even Mason himself believes the last one. Corey's face is as sceptical as Mason truly feels. 

"Mason, I've asked her to let me talk to her without Theo. She's almost had a fit the moment she saw Theo making a move to leave the room. She said, and I quote, my life belongs to Theo, he can kill me again, if he wants. He's the one who always brings me back"

Mason gapes.

"Oh my god" 

"Yes, exactly" Corey agrees, nodding vigorously: "she's gone completely crazy"

"It must be the kanima part of her" Mason reasons.

"Whatever it is, wait till Liam sees that. Wait till Liam sees the way Theo is reacting to this"

Corey's eloquent look is enough, but Mason has to be sure, so he asks anyway.

"What do you mean?"

Corey opens his mouth, catches himself, looks away. He gets up, but doesn't walk away, he just stands in front of Mason, still holding his hand.

"Liam was right. Theo is completely broken, He's drowning in guilt and regret - and he deserved it. But he doesn't deserve the way Tracy is forcing him to smile, to act as if he loved her. Even if it's clear to everyone that he doesn't. It's messed up!" Corey shakes their joined hand, carried over by his own words: "You killed me, but I'll forgive you if you play along with my dream of love. How can this be!"

Corey looks at Mason as if he had any answer. Mason is sorry, because he doesn't have any, but then he frowns, catching up with what Corey is saying. And the implications of that. Something, some of the words that Corey said start to click into place and, wait, would Theo...? But, But why?! With all the people that Mason could ever suspect to play along with such a plan, to such extent, he has to admit that Theo has never been among them. And, it doesn't make sense - it's not even consistent with the power relationship between kanima and master....

"Are you saying what you think you are saying?" Mason asks, almost laconic.

Corey sighs.

"Tracy demands kisses, declarations of love, Theo delivers. All of it. Whatever she asks, Theo gives her. Lying, if it requires talking, and not even bothering to lie in a convincing way, because they both know it's a lie. She doesn't care, she's happy as long as he plays along. All she wants is to hear him saying that he loves her back. And kiss her"

"And fuck her?" Mason asks, because this hinting around the main topic is driving him crazy. 

"Possibly" Corey nods.

Mason shakes his head, confused. 

"But, if she is so influenced by the kanima part of her brain... why does this give her all this power on Theo? How can she even be able to impose her will on his? Oh my god, who is abusing whom, in that relationship?"

"That's the point, Mase. It goes in just one direction. From Tracy, to Theo. And, I am the first one to say that Theo deserves pain, guilt, sorrow and regret. He deserved hell. But, but this? This is bordering on rape. And he doesn't deserve this"

Corey finishes and just stares into Mason's eyes, upset and with the faintest trace of tears coming up - anger, sadness and frustration. Mason can relate almost entirely: this is a complicated situation, indeed. He wants to point out that these are just suppositions, all their conclusions could be false, they have no proof, but, Corey wouldn't bring the topic up, if he hadn't had in some way the chance to get evidence. 

Then another thought comes to mind, an echo of something that Corey has said before - and Mason groans, worried and at a loss.

"Fuck, Liam"

Corey nods.

"Yep. Fuck, Liam, indeed. If he sees what Tracy is doing to Theo? He will try to tear her head off. And we both know that this has nothing to do with Theo being his anchor and Liam being Theo's"

Mason shakes his head, agreeing.

"What a mess" he mutters.

"Yeah, love. What a fucking mess" Corey agrees, vehemently.

xxxxx

Lydia feels a sudden wave of fear.

It's not her own fear, it comes from outside. How can you feel an emotion that doesn't come from you? eh, the beauty of being a banshee. Despite the weird, foreign emotion imposing on her own ones, this time she maintains a good grip on reality. Which is a pleasant change, all things considered.

She knows she is dreaming. Or, more likely, having a vision. Thank god at least I'm in bed. Thank god I'm wearing clothes. 

The rational part of her brain progressively switches off. One of her last conscious thoughts is, well, I couldn't really expect it to last too long after all. The vision takes over, and so do fear, the nightmares, darkness. 

She doesn't know where she is. It must be night, because everything is dark, but it could be anything else - she could be blindfolded. But she doesn't feel tied up. Her hands are free, and she can blink. she isn't blindfolded. It's just dark, then. Her feet are bare, so are her legs. she's wearing her nightshirt and the tattered remaining of what used to be her favorite skirt when she was seven. Now it's all shredded and dirty, covered in stains like mud. Mud, and blood.

Of course it's blood.

Her hands are bleeding. Her fingers are numb, because of an overwhelming pain that her brain is trying to keep out. Her nails are all broken, as if she's scratched them against something that didn't give. She is trembling.

She is terrified.

The mud, the dead leaves under her feet, the dirt. The pitch black night. She is in the wood, she is in a wood. And it's night.

A flash of light, disorienting her. Now she is strapped to a surgery table. Men with masks approach, masks she knows, Dread Doctors. Scalpel raised. 

She panics, and screams. Screams at them.

Another flash, everything goes back to black. Silence, no air. This isn't a wood. She cannot see, can't breath or move. There is no room, and she- the air, she can't breath.

She tries to reach out, push away the pressure that grinds against her chest but she can't extend her arms. Something stops her. It's a smooth, wooden panel - it's a coffin. She screams again, at first the echo of it bouncing back in the too small place - then a flash.

The wood again. The Nemeton is there, so close to her. Blood on the surface. It runs along the circles that tell the years of the tree. Blood is life, in circle. Blood circulating. Blood flowing along the the circles, the years of a tree. A murdered magic tree. 

Something is close. She startles and turns, her heart in her throat. The surgeon, mask lifting - everything fades. Pure light, overwhelming, white nothingness. She turns back again, the Nemeton is here. Blood has been smeared all over the flat surface, and bubbles have formed. It looks as if it was boiling. The bubbles call her closer. She takes a step and reaches out. The blood is warm under her finger. The fear slowly dims down, and she can feel a bit more like herself - enough to realize that this is the first time it happens, during a vision. 

A voice booms, a thunderous laughter. The classic, stereotypical evil laugh that says I want to do mean things to you. Stereotypical as it might be, it's still sinister and creepy. "can you get out?" it challenges, laughing and laughing, maniacally.

"Can you get out?"

She looks around, but there is nothing, only white, her, and the Nemeton. But on the surface of the dead tree - the blood has been smeared down into a sentence. A warning written in blood, again, how original. 

"Can you get out?" the voice goads, and Lydia is about to ask, angry and frustrated, out of what, when she realizes that the writing says the same thing.

Can you get out, mark.

Or... Mark? Capital M? She frowns and tries to reach closer.

But she wakes up, screaming.

Her roommate is shaking her. Lydia doesn't even think - she dives into Sally's open arms. Sally hugs her fiercely, caressing her hair. Lydia closes her hands into Sally's nightshirt, breathing in her scent. Lavender and magic. She's never been so happy to have the roommate she has. 

"Vision?" Sally asks, soft and knowing.

"I hate those" Lydia mutters, shaking her head. She moves back, freeing herself from Sally's protective embrace, the other girl letting her go easily. Lydia wipes at her eyes - of course she was crying. Sally snorts, totally in understanding, and even sharing the feeling. She gets up and gets Lydia some water. Then she sits back on Lydia's bed, her shorts riding up her thigh and revealing the intricate tattoos under.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Never before has Lydia been so happy to share a room with Sally Norton, undergrad chemistry student and born a witch. 

Lydia drinks, empties the glass, then takes a deep breath and starts talking.

xxxxx

"Woah, Dread Doctors. Nasty bastards, from what I've read and heard. But, weren't they dead? For good?" Sally asks, frowning.

Lydia nods, smiling knowingly.

"Yep, they are"

Sally, who is a very smart person, goes silent for a moment, then realization lights up her face and she chuckles.

"Your pack is really cool" she says.

"Yep, they are" Lydia nods again, totally agreeing.

xxxxx

Lydia calls.

Theo, vision still blurred, stares at his vibrating phone for a few seconds, incapacitated and made dumb by sleep and fatigue to realize he has to pick the call up. Then he casts a glance to Tracy, still sleeping beside him. 

He frowns softly, shifts silently and gets out of bed. He swipes the call on and pads out if the bedroom. He picks up his sweat pants on his way to the sofa. He sits and starts putting them in, realizing he should have probably waited before sitting down. Putting clothes on when you stand is easier, after all... If that means your ass isn't pressing down onto them while you try to slide them on. Looks like his brain still hasn't entirely caught up with being awaken. 

"Are you done, can I speak?" Lydia asks, her voice tinny and casual, but also slightly irritated for the long wait.

Theo brings the phone up to his ear.

"Sorry. What's up?"

Lydia has never called him before. He hears Tracy stir in bed and Theo winces. She won't like it, waking up and not finding him. She's been back from death only 24 hours ago and she's already made clear that she doesn't like waking up and Theo not being there. He belongs to her side, always. She'll like even less waking up and finding Theo at the phone with Lydia. The longer it takes Lydia to talk, explaining why the call, the more Theo risks Tracy finding out. Although, he realizes, given her supernaturally enhanced hearing, Tracy is bound to hear him anyway.

"Lydia..." he tries to prompt her, but she interrupts him, apparently done with the silence.

"She's there, isn't she"

Theo sighs. He doesn't need to ask - he knows Lydia means Tracy. Just like Scott did, and Stiles, and Corey. Anyone who ha either called or stopped by or both, demanding to know where Tracy was, and that Theo showed her or gave similar evidence of her wellbeing. As if they had needed reassurance that Theo hadn't killed her again. 

He wants to sneer. So much for Liam being so sure Theo has changed. Looks like he's the only one. Although that could be the reason why Liam is one of the few who hasn't showed up yet, not wanting to admit that Theo needs checking, they must be sure that he hasn't harmed Tracy, that he hasn't, after all, changed in the least. And Liam was wrong: Theo, as everyone else still believes, is still bad.

Theo knows that what he's doing, it certainly can't be called good.

But, what else should he do? Tracy wants it. Tracy looks at him with eyes that say, sleep with me, kiss me, fuck me. Pretend you love me. 

How can Theo deny her?he has too much to be forgiven for, that he can never apologize for. Not to her. He can't deny her anything.

Lydia snorts, not needing an answer or taking Theo's silence as one.

"She is. Of course she is. Let me guess, she doesn't want to leave your side, does she?"

Lydia has always been smart. Theo nods. He swallows, realizing that nodding is not enough, he has to put that into words, because Lydia is on the phone and can't see him. But, even if Lydia would never hurl insults or accusations on Theo like Stiles and Corey have, and she probably wouldn't even look at his with pity in her eyes the way Scott did (though that could be because she's on the phone and not physically present). Lydia wouldn't look at him the way Scott did, with that pained expression when he has asked, are you sure Tracy should stay here, and really he seemed to mean both are you sure Tracy will be safe with you, but also are you sure it's healthy for you to have her around. 

What should Theo do, what should Theo say now? 

To all the questions, the accusations, all that, Theo has answered with lies. Not bothering to cover them up, knowing well that even the humans could detect them easily. To Stiles, Corey, Scott, Malia, hell, even to Derek and Laura Hale, Theo has lied. Because of Tracy, and with Tracy present, as she would not leave him, even for a second. He just lied, giving the lines he knew Tracy wanted to hear. Looking at them in the eyes and seeing their anger, pity, incredulity. Seeing the compassion he did not deserve. 

Should he lie to Lydia too? Hasn't the shame of lying to the rest of the McCall pack been enough? Watching them realize what Theo was doing and looking at him with pity, compassion, a solidarity he didn't deserve nor wanted?

Is there no limit to the way he must humiliate himself because of Tracy, immolating his pride to the altar of her will? 

But, he knows the answer, and it's, no. There is no limit, no. He doesn't deserve it. So he lies, to Lydia Martin, as he has to anyone else.

"I love her" he whispers.

There are tears in his eyes. This is a first. It hasn't happened before. Maybe because back then he was focussed on steeling his face, but now, Lydia is not here, so he can keep his expression unguarded. The emptiness he felt before, the maybe vague anger he felt against Tracy, for the way she was making him lie, it's all gone now. He's just drowning in regret, and he hates himself for being so fucking selfish to even dare protesting for his pride, when he's the one at fault. How could Theo hate her, when the blame is on himself?

Lydia gasps softly, a tiny sound.

"Oh Theo" she murmurs.

He closes his eyes, and one single tear stream down his cheek. Here we go with the pity. He clenches his teeth. He doesn't want it. He doesn't want this. 

Thank his luck, Lydia goes on. 

"Is she sleeping now? Where is she?" Lydia asks again.

Theo nods. Then remembers. Words.

"Yes, she is"

Talking to Lydia is harder than talking, lying to Scott. Even if both Scott and Lydia know better than to believe the half-assed lies he's telling. But, Scott was there, could see Theo in the eyes. He could give Theo as much pity as he wanted, but Theo could answer with a straight face, showing resolve, like a soldier committed to war. Lydia, on the other side of the phone, could imagine anything, and Theo couldn't stop her. After all, he's actually crying right now. 

He swallows. This is his life now. Until Tracy dies, or he does, this is all he gets to have - and still it won't be enough to repay Tracy, so suck it up, Theo, he tells himself. The least he can do is giving her what she wants, what he has. And if that means giving her himself, so be it. As long as she wants him, she'll have him

He clears his throat.

This is my life. You guys will have to stop pitying me soon or later. And it's not like you care that much anyway, about Tracy or me. 

"What did you want to talk about?" he asks, business like and a bit harsh, enough to shake Lydia our of her compassion streak. Or maybe she just gets it - her being who she is, she probably just gets it.

Thank you Lydia for getting it. Theo has a flash of a mop of blond hair, blue eyes, and represses it all ruthlessly before it pops up into a memory vivid enough. 

Yep, talking with Liam will be harder.

Xxxxx

Theo hears Tracy move in the bed. 

He's biting at his lip, twisting the phone is his hand, thinking about his discussion with Lydia. He's not in the mood for sex or cuddling, but it's not like he can refuse, if Tracy asks.

He hears her get up. He holds his breath for a second but releases it immediately, schooling his heartbeat and expression into a state of neutral relaxation. If she wants it, she has every right to get it. She doesn't deserve to see that Theo might not feel like it. 

Thank god she actually pads out of the bedroom, wearing clothes. Theo pushes down the relief and smiles warmly at her. She sits in her lap, encircling his neck with her arms. She peppers kisses on his neck, then straightens and smiles back at him.

"You're deep in thoughts" she comments, voice still heavily laced with sleep.

Theo smiles at her and his heart beats harder. She's adorable, like this, half asleep and pretty. She hides her face in the crook of his neck and she yawns. He hugs her closer and caresses her hair. He wraps one arm loosely around her lower back.

He wonders if he could really have a second chance with her. If he would even want it.

"I am" he answers honestly. 

He won't lie to her. He's already lying to her about the most important thing, and yes, it's because she wants him to lie, but still, he has to make up for it in some way. 

She nuzzles his neck, then sits up and stares into his eyes. She's awake now, and studies him in silence with a few moments. 

"You're worried. Tell me, what happened?"

Theo chuckles, shaking his head fondly. He's a bastard, a real bastard, and he was a real monster. The truth is that there was a reason if he wanted Tracy in his pack of chimeras. Anyone else has been convenience, but Tracy, he wanted her. Because she's smart, she's loyal (although he heavily suspects that that quality was influenced by the kanima genes implanted in her), she's very quick to pick things up. And most of all, she gets him.

Which makes the choice of killing her, in hindsight, even more stupid than what Theo has already admitted.

"Get up. Let's get some food in you, first" he replies, swatting her thigh. 

She wiggles her eyebrows and claws with blunt nails all the way down his naked chest. He gasps softly and almost whimpers. He likes this smirk on her, cheeky and naughty. And she's so pretty. 

If he really loved her, everything would be so easier. Why can't he just talk himself into falling in love with her?

"You can get other things in me, too. But fine, food does sound like a good idea. And I heal fast, true, but I guess I should give my pussy some time to adjust being used this often" she jokes, leering.

She gets up and beams at the way her dirty words make Theo blush. She holds his hand and drag him to the kitchen. There, she busies herself with coffee, Theo putting together some solid food they can eat. 

Tracy has really good timing too, he muses. His fridge is empty ninety percent of the time, but she's resuscitated and gone back into their life one of the extremely rare times when he has a fully stocked fridge. 

She demands to know what he was thinking about, before. The noise of the coffee brewing is soft under her voice.

Theo does: he tells her the story of the ritual, even if some of it he has already mentioned to her. Not that she's cared hearing any of it, last time he's tried. She was definitely more focused on getting rid of her virginity, and intended to use Theo to do so. She also made clear that she intended to make use of this second occasion she was given to experience everything Theo's body had to offer - and that was a higher priority than sorcerers and rituals. Especially if she was going to be dead again soon.

Theo has, initially, panicked. Yes, he has a lot of experience as seductor, but he's never gone this far, usually killing or otherwise disposing of the target he was seducing before things could go beyond kissing, maybe some petting. It's what he's done with her too, after all. So, after the initial panic and the embarrassment that has followed, Theo has tried to accomplish the task of giving her pleasure, despite lacking any experience and almost not having a clue on how a female body worked, in a sexual way. 

Judging from the way she seems to have liked it, he guesses he hasn't done so bad. Although he's been striving for improvement since then. 

He feels... Conquered. Domesticated. Like a fortress that the enemy has conquered and now they live in it. He feels like a wild beast reduced to a pet. 

It's... Well. It's very close to what it is. She's had him, now he belongs to her. Brunhilde loosing her belt, wasn't it something like this?

He tells Tracy all the story. She serves coffee to him and herself, and starts sipping. She asks smart questions because she's not stupid, and asks for clarifications because she isn't sloppy either. Theo answers, setting plates on the table. 

She plops on a chair and picks some up with her fingers. He chides her and gives her a fork. 

"It's complicated. No surprise Lydia calls you for an opinion" she comments, lips pulled into a thin line.

This is another thing Theo likes about Tracy. This honesty, this no flattery, no bullshit attitude she has. It's almost as Malia's, although not that rough. And she's smart and hot - why the hell can't he love her. Why the hell is falling for her for real being this difficult?

Glimpses of blond. Blue. Red. 

Theo smothers it all down in one of the most savage ways he's ever repressed something. He smiles and tries to chase away the echoes of the memory with coffee. It burns, bitter and hot, but he swallows anyway. Tracy smirks, knowingly, and passes him the sugar.

"Lydia had a vision" Theo explains.

"M-mm" Tracy comments, crossing long legs under the table.

"She's seen the Dread Doctors"

Tracy frowns.

"But they're dead. The beast killed them"

Theo nods.

"You think they had an apprentice, or someone working with them" she guesses, looking at him. 

Theo nods again, smiling.

"I do" he confirms.

"You think, or you are sure?" she pushes, eyes focused entirely on him.

Theo pulls his lips in a thin line. He exhales loudly through his nose and wiggles his eyebrows. 

"That's the thing. I don't know for sure. I've spent years with them, and I've no memory of someone working with them, in the lab. But it could have been before they took me in, or it could be someone who worked with them, externally. They had a lot of contacts"

"What if it's them and they're not really dead?" Tracy asks, tipping her chin up and looking carefully at Theo.

He makes a face and raises his eyes, staring at the ceiling. He's pretty sure it's not the Doctors. This doesn't even remotely look like their style. Too much magic, too little science. If the resuscitated bodies had been taken over for experiments, maybe. But like this... No, they are dead. He's sure they are still dead. Unless someone brought them back? 

He points that possibility out to Tracy. She nods, agreeing. But Theo thinks about what Lydia said, the voice and the blood. And the Nemeton.

He has a feeling, something that his enhanced, engineered brain has picked up and is now trying to tell him. He has learned to do better than arguing against this hints, never to ignore them. It's like an instictive part of his brain gets to conclusions faster than the rest of him, and it whispers the solution back to him so that he can catch up. And if the voice, the pull, the instinct, whatever it is, if he feels it in his gut that it's not the Dread Doctors, then it means it's true. 

It has to do with blood, a dark night in the woods, the voice Lydia heard. Of course, the Nemeton, too.

Tracy chuckles, amused, and snaps Theo out of his reveries. He quirks an eyebrow and she shakes her head. 

"You have that look on your face, the one you get when that genius brain if yours is working. I'm just waiting to hear the solution of this mystery"

He snorts and tries not to blush. It's the first time someone addresses this particular trait of his and he's not sure she realizes this is actually artificial. 

"How do you even know it will be the right conclusion?" he challenges.

She pins him with a glare that clashes with the soft curve of her smile. 

"I know you Theo. Now tell me what you think the vision means"

She knows him? Well, that's a relief. He's tempted to point out how good it feels to have someone around that claims to know him, when he doesn't know himself anymore. Although that kind of itches, it pisses him off a little, as if to say, what do you think you know, now.

He clears his throat. 

"I think the woods mean something. I think that something has happened in there, at night. Lydia has heard this voice, challenging her to get out. She's seen the same words written in blood, saying, can you get out, mark"

"Wait, mark as is, a mark, or mark as in Mark, the name Mark"

Theo pulls his lips and shakes his head.

"No way to know that. We can see if a Mark was assassinated in the woods, it would be a start, but if it means mark mark, as in a mark, then we have no way to know"

Tracy hums and nods slowly.

"You think someone died in the woods then?"

"Or almost died. Or...."

Theo stops, thinking, green eyes out of focus. Can you get out. Whether it's mark or Mark - can you get out.

Fear, death, resurrections. 

It's a bit of a wild guess, but usually his brain - this part of his brain, is right. 

"I think someone was buried alive. Maybe this Mark? If it's a name. It could be our sorcerer. And now they get a kick out of the fear their victims feel. Maybe when they wake up and realize they are trapped and they're screwed - literally screwed inside a coff..."

Theo stops abruptly, freezing. Tracy snorts and smirks. He wants to punch himself for how tactless, and idiotic he has been. Hello? He has one of those victims in front of him! Way to go, make fun of what she's been through, you asshole piece of - wait.

"Tracy..."

"I was actually worrying, seeing how long it was taking you to get to that conclusion. I'm glad to see your precious brain is working properly, after all" she drawls, not one bit sarcastic.

"You've heard something, you said. What did you hear?" Theo presses.

"All things confirming your theory. Fear, I woke up, I couldn't get out. Someone was laughing. Someone mean. It was a man. He dared me to come out. And" 

She stops and looks straight into Theo's eyes.

"He quoted something, though I have no idea what. He said, the shadows fall on this valley of sin and tears. And then I've heard your voice"

Xxxxx

Theo calls Scott.

He has to tend to Tracy first - she doesn't complain when he informs her that he intends to call Scott, she just nods and straddles him on that chair. She kisses him until he's starting to feel light-headed for the lack of oxygen, then she drags him to the couch. She pushes him and he goes down willingly, lying down as she wants him. She straddles his chest and scoots over, sitting on his face. He gets the hint and works her until she's screaming his name and has her fingers buried deep in his hair. 

He kisses her thigh, letting her slump on the side. He crawls out and gets to his phone, cleaning the lower part of his face from what Tracy has dripped and squirted on him, distractedly rubbing the back of his hand over his mouth and chin. He scratches his bare chest and types the number in. He shoves one hand down the front of his pants to shift his erection, and hopes that Tracy won't notice. Ignoring it it's difficult already, he doesn't need her on her knees and dead set on sucking him off. 

He really needs to call Scott.

Tracy, on the sofa, doesn't seem to have realized Theo's condition. She dozes off, still humming a very satisfied little tune. 

The phone rings. Scott picks up, sounding surprised, first, that Theo call him. Once Theo has told him the news, the alpha gets way too enthusiastic, and Theo has to remind him twice that nothing has changed - his are only suppositions. That sound very valid, yes, true, but nonetheless. They still can't be sure the sorcerer is a Mark something, or of he was marked in some way. They don't know who he is and how to stop him. 

Scott decides to call for a pack meeting and closes the call informing Theo that he will text on the pack group chat time and place. He says, you can bring Tracy. For a moment, Theo is about to point out that of course he will bring Tracy, where else is he supposed to leave her? But he doesn't.

He doesn't because, even while he's putting the phone down, call ended, he thinks about the way Scott has phrased that. 

I need you there, you can bring Tracy. I know it's going to be uncomfortable, but I need you to attend this meeting. You'll know what to do.

He closes his eyes, mentally swearing in the most colorful way. 

Liam. He meant Liam. 

Fuck. Theo checks the phone. He hasn't picked Liam up for school nor has he gone to pick him and take him home. He hasn't checked on him, and, after last night... Liam was, understandably, been pretty upset, that very morning. And Theo has basically sent him away, has made him walk home, after all Liam has done for him. And Tracy. Barely one hour before.

Blond, blue, red.

He pushes his hand over his eyes. He can stop the thought but he can't make Tracy like it. 

She enters the kitchen right then, finding Theo leaning with his back against the table. She has showered, and she's wearing the clothes that belonged to the woman previously living here. He's about to frown at that, but then realizes that Tracy wouldn't have anything else to wear.

"I heard we're going to a pack meeting" she chirps, smiling and encircling him with her arms.

He bends down and pecks her on the lips. 

"We are" he confirms.

"Liam will be there" she comments, neutrally.

She knows even better than Theo what that means. Her eyes say everything that she doesn't give voice to. I know, they say. I know, but remember, you are mine. Remember what you owe me.

He swallows.

"He will"

Tracy sighs, looking down. She shakes her head slightly, as if bracing herself for a conversation that she knew she couldn't really avoid. She meets his eyes again, and she has lost some of the strength, that demanding unwillingness to concede him freedom that she's had before, but she's still unrelenting, unforgiving. 

There is no way out for you, is what her eyes still say, warning him.

"You are his anchor, and he is yours. I know, Theo. It's fine for me. You belong to me, but you can be Liam's anchor even if you belong to me. Don't worry. I won't get in the middle of that"

Theo swallows.

She sounds reasonable but it's because she knows. She knows even the things that Theo himself doesn't want to acknowledge, she knows that Theo can't love her because he loves - but she's been clear: Theo is hers. He belongs to her. She will tolerate sharing him with Liam as long as things between Theo and Liam stay the way it should, for two people who are just anchoring each other.

Nothing more.

Theo bends down and kisses Tracy, a real, deep kiss. 

It's not like between him and Liam there is - there could be anything else, is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took ages to type this one - I write them on paper crazy fast, but then... Ok, so, here it goes. Once again my brain is gone. I'll read this through for typos or others in the next days. 
> 
> Enjoy and give me a feedback?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shadows are me, I am the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And lo and behold, some boy x boy appeared.

Theo drives to Scott's, Tracy on the passenger seat.

He spends the first ten minutes of the ride trying to convince his brain that, of course Tracy is on the passenger seat, where else would she be. Who else would sit there.

She's wearing tight jeans and a t-shirt. She had to roll up the bottom of the jeans, presumably because their owner was a bit taller than her. She's done her hair in a low braid and she looks really pretty. She's even used the mascara she's found in the makeup drawer. She said you're not allowed to let makeup of that brand rot away, unused. 

"The McCall pack, they accept you. They want you there, with them" Tracy comments, looking Theo's way while he drives. She sounds casual and non-committal but also a tiny bit proud. 

Theo exhales through his nose, eyes on the road. Do they, now.

"Some. It's convenient for them" he replies.

Tracy snorts.

"The way Scott insisted, requested your presence? Didn't sound like convenience to me" she argues.

"Remember yesterday? Scott didn't come to check on me, he came to check on you. Definitely more you than me. And the Hales? Do you think they would have bothered coming personally, when they could have just asked Scott or anyone else about my wellbeing? They wouldn't have wasted their time for someone they didn't even know, Theo. They came for you"

Theo doesn't know what to say. Should he deny? He sort of agrees, after all. Scott has undeniably come to check on both of them, Tracy and Theo. The pity in those eyes - Scott has been sorry for Theo. 

Tracy tips her chin upwards and smiles, honest and warm. 

"You know, it's going to sound bad, but, I'm really glad your old plan failed. It was a fucked up plan. You're much better with them than against them"

It's Theo's turn to snort now, but he mirrors her smile. He can't deny that, nor does he want to. Not when he's really happy about having this second chance. Or, well, kind of a second chance. The pack still doubts him and keeps him at distance. 

Sort of.

"Theo" Tracy calls again.

He throws a glance at her. She's smiling, looking at him with an almost dreamy expression, happy and satisfied with what she sees. He smiles back. She is really, really pretty, and, seeing her happy, it makes Theo's heart warmer. Like she was the living proof that, even if he fucked up, he's working on redemption. 

And she is so pretty it would be so easy to fall for her.

"Tell me you love me" she commands.

He does. 

"I love you" he delivers, smooth voice and not missing a beat. His heart is steady while he says it, but not because it's not a lie: because they both know it is one. But this is something they have both already learned how to live with.

Tracy, satisfied, smiles and settles back in her seat.

Xxxxx

Liam refuses to dwell on the fact that for the first time in... Long, he gets to a pack meeting without Theo. 

When he arrives, almost everyone is already there. Not Theo, and maybe it's better. He smiles to Scott and tries to ignore the look on his alpha's face, the one telling Liam that Scott knows, that Scott knows Theo is going to show up and yes, Liam will see something that he won't like.

'Like a 5.2 poisonous, slitted eyes skunk plastered all over my... Theo. All over Theo'

He swallows, nervous. He doesn't want to let himself call Theo his. The chimera is his anchor, and Liam is trying to coming to terms with the possibility he is more, but, identifying Theo as his, even if only in the privacy of his own head - the possessive is enough to make Liam feel uncomfortable, too intimate already.

Liam doesn't feel comfortable yet with the idea of liking Theo. Not yet, and not just because of Tracy. He's still trying to get used to the fact that he might be attracted to a bit. Guy. Well, he can't exactly call Theo a man, for fuck's sake, when Theo is barely eighteen - but calling him a boy? It sounds ... Stupid.

Anyway. Liam might be busy coming to terms with the fact that he likes guys, too - which, he supposes, doesn't make him gay because he's still very attracted by women, but, bisexual? Yeah, looks like you can pin Liam down on that one.

This is complicated enough, especially if you stop to consider to whom, exactly, Liam is attracted. The chimera who was the enemy and killed Scott but now has grown a heart and is learning to be human.

Add to that a skunk - errr, Tracy, to the equation, and well, what you obtain is a truly complicated mess of a situation. Yes, truly adding Tracy makes things a helluva lot harder.

He's about to blush at his own words. Harder. Uh, not harder. More difficult. Yes, more difficult sounds better. Oh man, he really has to learn to watch our for this puns, seriously. If he had been talking with Mason right now, his best friend would have definitely called him out on that one.

"Hey Liam. Get some food" a voice says, startling Liam. A plate is shoved his way and he has to grab it. He cradles it safely to his chest to keep it from falling and shattering, which Melissa would not appreciate, and raises his eyes to meet Derek's knowing, gleaming eyes.

Jesus. Derek, of all people.

He's alone, unusually not hoovering behind Laura's back, and the detail is peculiar enough these days, almost as it is getting life advice from him. Except Liam checks and sees that Laura isn't really far: she's a couple of steps away from them, currently speaking with Parrish and Mason about something gory. She's giving Liam and Derek the shoulders but Liam knows she's paying attention to him anyway. He wonders if she's sent Derek or he came on his own.

Liam feels slightly embarrassed, which translates into slight anger, but also much appreciate the silent way the Hale siblings take care of him. He's tempted to say he doesn't need taking care of but, whatever. The only downside is that it makes his heart kinda clench painfully, as it reminds him that the person that usually takes care of him isn't... Here. The Hales do it because Theo isn't here.

"Come on Liam. Pizza on the table" Derek repeats, pointing with his chin in direction if the kitchen and all but shoving Liam that way. 

He goes, partly because with a Derek shive you can do much but follow the movement, unless you want to sprain something, and he walks into the kitchen. He doesn't feel like eating but there are three trays of pizza on the table, and he doesn't have the heart to waste it. He fills his plate and forces himself to eat it, cheering like q machine programmed to do so. 

He's eating, standing by the table, when Scott comes to check up on him. He smiles all dopey, the way it makes people question how can he be a true alpha, and leads Liam back into the other room. Once again Liam freezes on the spot, wondering where should he sit, but Scott solves that for him, pushing him to sit in the couch between him and Malia. 

When Liam sits and swallows in the bite he was munching, the pizza tastes like cheap cheese, anxiety, anger, embarrassment, disappointment.

A car is parked in the driveway, an engine killed and a loud kiss shared. After a few seconds, the door finally open, revealing Theo, green eyes, tight jeans and black T-shirt, his arm in Tracy's hips.

Good thing Liam's plate is empty, and that Scott fetch it before it falls.

Xxxxx

Laura considers herself a patient woman. She hasn't always been, she had to learn how to be. And learned it she has, the hard way, when all her family died, saved for her younger siblings she found herself having to care for, and an uncle she knew she couldn't trust. Also, back then Peter had been scarred to death and fighting for life in a hospital. Without the supernatural boost of the nine herbs, it just have taken him a very long time to get his pretty face back...

Anyway. Laura is patient, now. But she knows she has limits, and that she isn't a saint. And some of the kids in the McCall pack? They're really testing her limits right now.

'Those two morons are making me wish I was still dead' her eyes say, when she scowls Derek's way.

Her brother smirks, eyes sparkling in understanding. He wiggles his eyebrows at her, the little shit.

'I know' his eyes are saying. 

She snorts and tries to ignore the way Malia has to all but tackle Liam to the couch, the moment Theo walks in. Although, to be honest, Laura too has to fight down the urge to smash against the nearest wall the head of the pretty girl that is clinging at Theo's side. Maybe smack some sense into Liam's head too. 

For fuck's sake. Laura resists the urge to roll her eyes only because she knows she would have to do it so hard it would probably hurt.

She watches Theo. The day before, she noticed the careful way he has studied her, analyzing the way Derek and Peter behaved, now that she is back here. She talked little but was very effective when he did. And he had total control over himself and Liam's swinging mood, even if he hadn't looked too comfortable at steering the beta through his anger fits. Now, the boy that Laura sees now, is way different from the one she has seen the day before. Not entirely, but enough that she frowns. Theo still looks at Liam like he knows he is supposed to help him, and like he wants to do so, but it's like he doesn't dare leaving Tracy's side. 

Laura wonders if she could smack some sense into him, too. It would be fun, wouldn't it? With Derek, it worked. She must have smacked him so many times and look at him now.

Ok, not going there. Considering the disastrous love life of her brother, she really shouldn't go there.

Liam looks at Theo. Theo is entirely focused in Liam. It's like they only see each other, and they're trying to speak silently but are finding out this very instant that, since now, they speak different languages. Not surprisingly, Liam hasn't noticed that his claws have come out to play. A but more of a concern is the fact that he seems not to have realized Malia's claws in the flesh on his thigh, either.

Laura nods at Peter's daughter, approvingly. Good thinking girl, that sure is a good way to pin someone down.

The pretty girl at Theo's side looks around the room, intertwining her fingers with Theo's. It's enough to startle Theo out of his staring contest with Liam.

Scott clears his throat.

"Theo, please. Take a sit. We can start now" he gestures with his left hand towards some chairs far from the couch. Considering that he's using his right hand to keep Liam down, the same way Malia is, it's probably a good idea to direct Theo not too close to them.

Theo hesitates, then he sighs softly and moves for the chairs, pointing one to Tracy and sitting after her.

"Put them away, little wolf" he chides, still giving Liam his back.

Tracy sits and crosses her legs, smiling up at Theo, radiant. He smiles back, fond and protective, and sits beside her.

Laura wants to vomit. She looks away and finds Jordan with a similar expression.

Liam's eyes flash yellow, and he almost makes it out of the restraining old of Malia and Scott combined, but then he notices his claws. He instantly deflates, overcome by embarrassment. He looks up at Theo with something that could be an apology in his eyes.

The pretty girl slithers her hand up Theo's thigh and finds his hand. She intertwines their fingers again and sends a small smile Liam's way. Not mean or challenging. But still it's clear she wants to make clear who she thinks Theo belongs to.

Laura is sincerely tempted to stop this horrifying, low quality shit of a drama show and point out, once and for all, that it doesn't matter how hard she makes Theo lie to everyone and himself, he's never going to be hers. It's as clear as the light of day, at least to all the born werewolf present. A quick glance to her own right proves her right: Derek eyes the joined hands with an unimpressed smirk, and Peter is fighting down a cruel smile. As if he really wanted to point out how useless the girl's efforts are.

Yes uncle, you tell them.

Scott clears his voice and starts recapping. He goes through all they know. The laptop is absent, so Laura imagines that neither Lydia not stiles will join them, but she is sure they will be told, if the pack finds out something important. 

Although she extremely doubts that. They are still at a dead end. Their next step is once again to wait. The ritual surely involves a third resurrection - they had three deaths, after all. Mason points out that rituals often exploit the magic associated to numbers like three. Peter reminds Scott that, without that third resurrection, all Deaton's theories are useless: they all involved a third person coming back from death. 

Even with a third resurrection, they wouldn't have much to go on. The research team has come up with some ideas, has found rituals involving three deaths and three resurrections, Peter explain, but they have reached a sort of fifty-fifty situation. Half the rituals found are to gain power and unleash it on Earth to kill more people. The other half is to have the power to resuscitate more people, and build a sort of army with brainless, zombie like soldiers. Isn't that a nice perspective?

With no chance to figure out the final goal, Scott goes back to what they know about the sorcerer. Male, potentially called Mark or marked in some other way.

Theo tells them what Tracy (that's her name!) has heard. Laura grimaces. Sin? Great, this is probably some fanatic of some religion.

Scott asks if the Dread Doctors could be involved. He wants to be sure they can rule them out. Theo argues that this is too much magic for their usual MO, plus he doesn't remember them having any assistant.

"It could be a fan" Parrish points out, and fuck you Jordan, that actually sounds like a damn good possibility. Which means that they might rule out the Doctors but not entirely. Open another door, instead of closing one. It's frustrating.

"We don't have enough info to make a plan. Again. Great" Malia growls.

Theo agrees. Scott and Mason try bringing up anyway some ideas to prevent a third resurrection, anything really, but Theo has a reasonable explanation for any of their half-assed, desperate aborted plans. Some ideas are objectivity stupid and it's not difficult to find a counterargument, but at some point she notices that Theo can systematically demolish any of those plans with a very valid explanation... But not simply based on common sense and logic. 

Laura frowns silently, taking in the almost absent way Theo is looking at the ceiling and focuses on it so much that it's like he's reading a script, reading up there what to say against Scott and Mason's plans. 

She turns to Peter. He doesn't do it on purpose, looking for him, it's an old instinct, back to when she trusted him. If he is surprised or pleased to find her glaring inquisitively his way, he doesn't show. He just shrugs neutrally and answers her silent question.

"Engineered enhanced brain" he explains.

That falls like a stone in a lake, the room suddenly silent. Impressed, curious and shocked eyes move from Peter to Theo. The chimera looks down, eyes trained on the floor now, and blushes. At his side, Tracy smirks, turning to Theo with pride clearly written on her face. As if she was showing off a prize she's won.

"Theo" Scott calls, curious: "is it true?"

Liam's eyes are hard as stones.

Theo clears his throat.

"I'm not infallible" he protests, in lieu of an answer. 

"Yes, we've seen that" Corey replies, not exactly benevolent but not as acid as Laura suspects he could be: "but you are, aren't you? That's why sometimes you just know stuff"

Theo shrugs, noncommittally, but it's kind of ruined by that blush on your cheeks, buddy. Laura grins. Seriously, has this guy really killed a true alpha? He looks like a dork. He's adorable. Come on. Really?

She turns to Derek with a quirked eyebrow. The look she gets from her brother is 'you don't wanna know and I swear it wasn't always this embarrassing'.

"Well, so if your enhanced brain says it's not the Dread Doctors, then you are probably right" Jordan argues, throwing a careful smiles at Theo.

The chimera shrugs again, serious this time.

"Whether I do or not it's irrelevant. You can't be sure, so it doesn't change a thing" he cuts it short.

"Fine, ok. But we have to do something. You turned down any idea we could come up with. We can't just wait" Scott argues, sounding slightly desperate.

Theo grimaces.

"I know. But if you expose yourself, you'll end up only hurt and with less manpower. There are too many variables we don't know, danger could come literally from any direction. You have to settle for a plan that involves as little action as possible, I'm sorry"

Scott nods.

"Ok, that's fine. Better than doing nothing. Also, who knows, maybe we do pick something up that way. We can keep patrolling the Nemeton area. Maybe we can't stop him resurrecting people, but... Maybe we will see him, this time"

"Hardly likely, but, by all means" Peter comments.

"You realize this means you still have the same possibilities you had yesterday.... Don't you, Scott?" Theo says, reducing at least half his sentence to just hinting and looking directly into Scott's eyes. 

Scott sighs and nods. He extracts the claws from Liam's leg. Liam doesn't even whimpers and heals unbelievably fast. Scott shakes his hand in the air a couple of times, trying to speak, but can't. It's a bit disturbing, to see a true alpha gesticulate with bloody, clawed hands.

"You don't have to do it yourself" Theo adds, as if amending his previous bout of straightforwardness.

Laura throws a glance around. She finds Jordan looking at her and they hold eyes for a moment. Then the deputy turns to Scott and saves him from the answer he looks unable to give.

"We don't know if it's the name of our sorcerer, but I can try to run the name Mark in the system. Maybe I can find someone with that name who died in the woods" he offers.

Scott swallows and nods.

"Check also for people who almost died, or where kidnapped and held prisoner or hostage in the woods" Theo suggests.

Parrish frowns.

"That's going to increase the results a lot" he points out.

Yes, Laura thinks, but if Mr engineered brain tells you to do that, Jordy, you do.

"Me and Derek can patrol tonight, Scott. Everywhere you require us to. Peter, you too"

Peter nods in agreement, despite the fact that the last part has been clearly an order. Scott nods and thanks her. He'll probably spend the night by the Argent girl's grave again, anyway. 

Laura stands up, Derek and Peter in tow, following her example. So does Jordan, who picks up his uniform jacket. Tracy stands too, dragging Theo up from their still joined hands.

Liam growls softly, the sound subdued enough under the voice of the people and the screeching of different pieces of furniture moved. It's a sound feeble enough Tracy can pretend not hearing it. She moves to hug and kiss Theo, but finds him looking Liam's way. She stops, clearly taken by surprise, and pulls her lips in a thin line. She kisses Theo's cheek, making him almost startle. 

Theo turns to her, as if he had suddenly remembered she was there. He smiles and lets go of her hand, nodding her in direction if the door. Her smile fades further, a hard light in her eyes. But she nods and follows his instructions.

Theo walks to Liam, bends down to him, places one hand on his knee, wrapping it entirely around the kneecap. He looks deeply into Liam's eyes, and it's like now they're back to the same language. Liam swallows, holding his stare, and pushes almost imperceptibly his knee up to Theo. 

"You ok" Theo asks in a whisper. It sounds more like an encouragement than a question. 

Still holding eyes Liam nods. Theo smiles. It's a good, true smile, one that Laura, in her short time around the pack, has never seen on the chimera's face.

"Good" Theo comments, nodding. Then he leaves, going after Tracy.

Liam closes his eyes. People around are talking and moving, yes, but Laura bets he can hear the sound of Theo and Tracy kissing. Then the engine if the truck comes to life and Liam's jaw clenches. At his left, Scott pats his shoulder with sympathy.

"Liam" Laura calls.

Liam startles, snapping his eyes open and looking her way. She's standing close to the door, Peter and Derek already out. Scott eyes her and understands what she has in mind. 

"Get up. You're coming with us" Laura orders.

Liam meets her eyes and hold her stare. His jaw clenches and unclenches, as he struggles to keep his anger at bay. Too many emotions are messing with him right now, a small war has broken out in his head. He's almost trembling with the effort to keep it all under control. He really wishes Theo was here. To break his nose, yes, but, you know. He would heal. 

Scott hovers, at his left. Liam meets his eyes and his alpha smiles, reassuring. He jerks his head towards Laura, asking permission, and Scott nods. Liam gets up and joins Derek and Peter, outside. 

Before leaving, Laura and Scott hold eyes, silently. They don't need words: Laura can speak directly to Scott's inner wolf. 

Hey eyes are saying, break this off. Scott wishes he could.

Xxxxx

Scott exhales loudly. 

It echoes in the room empty of people. 

He sits back, landing in the sofa, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. He slides his fingers through his hair, so glad to be alone. So, so fucking glad not to have anyone around, so he can lose it and nobody is here to see.

Nobody to take care of, nobody to protect, to shelter, nobody to think of. Just him, and the crisis he is about to have.

Scott rarely has time for himself. He's learned to treasure time alone as probably only mothers can. A mother of four with a partner far, far away. As much as he likes spending time with pack, needs them around, adores a room full of happy people he knows he's taken care of - he is tired now. He's literally exhausted.

He breathes in the scents left in the room, the mixture of scents many people have left. The emotions lingering in here are like a dizzying cocktail, fogging his objectivity. He breathes in through his nose and exhales with his mouth open. The scent of pack isn't reassuring, helping, comforting today. It's a too tight blanket that chokes him with anxiety. 

What a mess. What a fucking, horrifying mess. 

It wasn't enough, risking having Allison back - a scar that he really, really didn't want to pick at. No, the cherry on top of that shitty cake is that now he has lost the only focused person he could count on, to be objective and lucid enough to help him sort it through. He had hoped Tracy wouldn't screw Theo up like this, coming back. He had hoped he could still count in him, to work on finding out who the sorcerer is. What he wants. How to stop him. 

Without Stiles, without Lydia, Theo is all Scott has. Sure, Scott isn't stupid and can work out some pretty cool action plans, but for the work before, the brain squeezing activity, well. He needs guidance, assistance. He needs Theo: he promised Stiles and Lydia that they could leave, could think about their own future, go to college. He can't exactly call them everytime there is an issue in Beacon Hills, it would only push them to come back. 

He needs Theo, and he needs him to be one hundred percent engaged, he needs Theo to only think about the case. Now sure, Theo is helping, and he does think about the ritual and the sorcerer, and he comes up with useful plans but, Tracy distracts him. A lot. A lot more than Scott has anticipated. Worse than that: he's distracted by Tracy, and by the way Liam is angry, because of Tracy.

Which is another thing that really worries Scott. Liam is angry, and it has nothing to do with the fact that Theo is his anchor. This isn't Liam protecting Theo, something that is justified and even to be expected, what with Liam being Theo's anchor, too. But this, this isn't Liam being mad because Tracy is hurting Theo. 

Liam is angry because he's jealous. And Scott, well. He doesn't know what to think. It's one think to rationally accept the fact that his own wolf already considers Theo part of the pack, and wants to take care of him the same he does for anyone else. Which is being difficult already. 

But it's another thing entirely, bearing the thought of Liam, his only bitten beta, his Liam, who is a sort of mix between kid brother and a son - he cannot bring himself to think about him, and Theo. 

Together.

True: he is very close to forgive Theo, officially make him pack. But, last time Theo has had all that control over Liam, Scott has ended up dead. Ok, not exactly last time, since that was during the war with Monroe's hunters, and back then Theo had not only helped Liam, but also many others. Scott included.

Even so, a part of Scott refuses to allow Liam to get romantically involved with Theo. He trusts Theo in battle, but can't see his precious beta with their former enemy. It's not only because he knows Theo can be a manipulative, conning bastard - Scott is pleased to see that Theo is trying to be more than that. The problem is that it's also painfully obvious Theo has also no real experience being anything but that. Theo doesn't know what to do, has no experience on how to deal with any kind of emotion: he is so helpless on that front, that even Tracy has realized, and is exploiting this new weakness of Theo.

Theo doesn't know how to love - no, actually, it's just that he doesn't know how to deal with it. Emotions, he's learning to know them, but, Scott can't let Liam, who would dive headfirst in any relationship, get involved with someone emotionally as screwed up as Theo is.

It's the receipt for a disaster.

Scott exhales and falls back on the cushions of the couch. It still smells like Malia and Liam. The pull to protect Theo is weird enough, considering that the guy has killed him once, that he didn't need the additional drama. 

He considers the way Tracy has looked Theo's way, as if conceding him a moment to approach Liam. She has basically allowed Theo. The shockingly tamed way Theo lets her do whatever she wants with him, as if he was a doll, a puppet and she held the strings. It worries Scott. Would he do the same with Liam? Would he use Liam like Tracy is using him? Is this what Theo thinks love is?

The caring, reassuring way Theo has touched Liam.

Scott swears mentally. 

Theo is in love with Liam. It's painfully obvious and he is sure that even Theo and Liam themselves know. 

Thank god right now it's Laura and the Hales dealing with Liam, Scott wouldn't have the energy. He doesn't trust Peter, but with Derek and Laura around Liam is safe enough. 

He can go back to worry about Theo. Why the fuck does Theo let Tracy treat him like that? Hasn't Mason theorized that Theo was master to Tracy's kanima side? This sure looks like vice versa.

He has the horrible suspect - more of a certainty, actually, that Theo is allowing this. Out of guilt. That Theo is actually the one with the power, but, because he thinks he is at fault, he doesn't use it, and puts it in Tracy's hands. 

Which is a problem because Theo is kind of right, thinking he is at fault. He has a lot of things he can be blamed for, nasty things. Really horrible things. And it's a good thing that Theo feels guilty for them: it means Theo is changing, or has changed already, and he must know that he needs to atone. Guilt is the only thing that can change Theo, can save him. The only thing that can bring him back to a human being. It's a process that has started since after hell, Scott has witnessed it, but it's not over. No matter how much Scott wants to help, protect and take care of Theo, he must not interfere: he must let Theo go through all of it. But, in all this mess, a complication has arisen, and it's called Tracy Stewart.

Scott sighs loudly, and it echoes in the silent room. 

Tracy surely looked like a sweeter girl when she was dead. It was easier to think of her as a victim, an innocent played by the bad guys. She was, after all a little more twisted and a bit less innocent than the pack has insisted to believe, than what the pack has wanted to see.

And now Scott has to do something, because he has to protect Theo, but he can't stop the process. But something he must do, to save Theo, Liam, and the whole fucking city.

Again.

Fucking hell.

Xxxxx

Liam showers after the run with the Hales.

It has probably been the best thing that could happen to him right now. 

Beside Tracy dying again.

He smirks to himself. He is sort of proud of this new status he has reached, this new phase he has entered. He can admit what he feels for Theo - although at the only condition not to call it by name, the terrifying L word. But, beside that, he has sort of rationalized it, and can even joke about it. He thinks he can, more or less, put up with it. To a certain extent.

Running has felt great. After the initial embarrassment, total lack of harmony between him and the other three, he has caught up with Laura and Derek's smooth rhythm. It has been difficult at first, adapting to a running style so different from his, from the one he was used to. He has run only with Theo, recently, and for them running was like playing. Running with the Hales, I stead, almost resembles a spiritual act. They move like they are part of something, something that exists only when they are together. Even if Peter still ran with a slightly different rhythm, as if he couldn't entirely catch up and blend in with his nephew and niece, it has felt magic. Like a single body moving.

It gave him the energy and the time to focus on his mind, instead of switching it off. He has used it to grieve, to let the pain run through him like he was running through the preserve, let it burn and shake him. When they've stopped, Liam a sudden wave of peace has fallen into Liam, and it still clings on him. Derek has patted him on the shoulder, as if to express sympathy. Peter has cracked a joke about putting Tracy down, Laura telling him off but not denying she would be glad to punch her too. Liam has laughed like he didn't think he could still be able to.

He finishes showering and puts on clothes. He has seen something during their route that has given him an idea. He checks the address in his phone. Ten minutes later he's knocking at a wooden door, in front it a pretty two story house. There is no fence and the garden is full of children toys. 

Ms. Evans come to open the door. Shes wearing home clothes smudged with paint, and looks entirely different from the elegant woman she is in class - although Liam admits she is just as beautiful. There is a bewildered expression on her face. Liam supposes he would be pretty surprised too, in her place.

"Hello Ms. Evans. I hope I haven't caught you in a bad moment" he smiles, hesitant.

She smiles. Liam can hear children music from inside and two little girls singing.

"Hi Liam. No, not at all. But I have to say I wasn't expecting to see one of my students showing up at my door" she answers, quirking an eyebrow in a silent question.

Liam fights down a blush. He knows he's doing a good thing, coming here and speaking to his teacher in person, and he finds it particularly good, not having brought flowers after all. It would make this all more difficult and embarrassing. 

"Sorry. I just... I wanted to thank you for today. I wasn't in a good place, mentally speaking" he explains.

Ms. Evans pins him with her bright eyes, polite but serious, silently inviting him to add some more to that meagre justification.

"I know you've noticed. And I wanted to thank you, for noticing, but also giving me space. I promise I've already asked notes for what I've missed, too" he finishes with a small smile.

Ms. Evans smirks. 

"Not to Mason, I hope. I'm afraid your friends haven't paid much attention either, they were... Too concerned with you"

Liam nods.

"I know. But we'll catch up. You know Mason, he can't live if he knows he's behind in a subject"

Ms. Evans chuckles. Liam blushes some more, not even sure why, but finds it a slightly bit easier, smiling now.

"Again, I'm sorry, and thank you"

Bless you Ms. Evans, is what Liam would like to say but he kind of can't. Shouldn't. Not phrasing it like that. 

She nods slowly, eyes still firmly focused on him, but never making him uncomfortable. She studies him carefully.

"I hope you're better now" she comments, instead of asking.

Liam smiles ruefully. Even if he could explain, he probably wouldn't. This is a real mess, and he doesn't really want to go through it again, let alone share his problems with a teacher. But it's nice that she's asking.

"I don't think I will, for a while. But I'm trying not to let it screw up with my normal life" he admits.

She nods, silent and serious.

"Liam, I know you don't have the best experience with school counsellor. I honestly don't even know how we let that happen. But, if you need help, if there is something I can do... You can talk to me. You don't need to hide"

She isn't smiling, now, she just looks at him, serious and honest, and Liam is embarrassed to see that there is a huge of regret and guilt in her scent. As if she was blaming herself for not stepping up for him before - which is ridiculous, she had barely started teaching at BHHS, when the shit hit the fan last time.

She struggles for words and Liam doesn't interrupt. He's curious to see where she wants to go.

"I don't know anything about being a werewolf, I'm afraid, but I know a thing or two about being a teenager. So I can't promise I will be able to help with werewolf problems, but I'm here for teenager ones" she offers, and there is a sincere smile in her lips.

Liam beams. 

"Thank you, Ms. Evans"

She chuckles at his expression.

"No Liam, thank you"

Xxxxx

Liam tosses and turns, but there is nothing to do: unsurprisingly, sleep fails him tonight.

Frustrated, he gives up trying to. He kicks the cover away, sits up and check the time on his phone. It's late, but not too late. Late enough he would like to sleep considering he has school the morning after, but, he knows better than to expect to fall asleep anytime soon. 

He sighs and gives up again, surrending one hundred percent. He gets up and looks for some clothes. He picks the first random pair of jeans he finds and slides them on, wears a jacket on the t-shirt he was trying to sleep in, and puts shoes on. His phone has full battery: he could stay out as much as he wants, until he's tired enough he can hope he'll collapse. 

Paranoia and recent experience convince him to leave a note for his mom, should she come to check on him for any type of reasons, or should he not come back before tomorrow morning, when she might check on him. He hesitates, wondering if he shouldn't, but the just write it and thinks, what the hell worst case scenario she will never see it. But he places it in a place where she will, if she really came in his room.

He jumps out the window. The night is black, no moon and no star, hidden behind clouds. A faint mist envelopes everything, humidity raising from the woods. It covers the preserve like a thick blanket, spreading over the city. Liam wonders how cold it must feel, running within that fog, and finds that he really doesn't envy the Hales, who are running through the woods right now, or Scott, who is probably spending another sleepless night near the true grave of Allison Argent. 

He walks without direction. He hopes that, after Tracy, they won't get Allison back, too. The combo might seriously shatter the pack, considering how Tracy's presence is straining it's harmony already. 

To be honest, Liam hasn't anticipated half the reactions he has witnessed - and, true, he was busy being angry, but he has noticed anyway. Which is a new accomplishment, compared to when anger would cloud his judgment and every sense. Is it Theo's influence? Or just him, growing up? Anyway, he hasn't expected the pack to react to Tracy with barely concealed hostility. Even Corey didn't look so happy to see her - neither surprised, and Liam deduces he must have gone to check on her at Theo's, taking up on Liam's suggestion. Malia has never hidden not liking Tracy, as one from Theo's pack, so, no surprise. But even someone usually pretty neutral like deputy Jordan Parrish has looked at Tracy and Theo together as if he was seeing something particularly revolting.

Oh boy, does Liam agree.

He wonders why the Hales have reacted the way they have. He thinks their smirking and incredulous expressions could give him more confidence, help him feel grounded better on his... On his what? In his demand that Tracy give Theo back? On his claim on Theo? 

Whatever. On that. Laura, Derek and Peter - the three of them have looked at Tracy as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Of course it could have been just because Tracy has been a tad shameless in broadcasting her play to everyone - but Liam wants, needs to hope there is more to that. Would the Hales have taken him under their wing, joked about putting Tracy down, if they were just pissed at her? 

Liam shakes his head. It hurts, thinking about Theo, thinking about Tracy and Theo. It hurts even after running with the Hales and accepting that, fine, somehow he's fallen for the dumbest chimera left on Earth. It still sounds incredible, as if he was speaking about someone else, but at least he can accept his own feelings. Or, can you distinguish between feelings and emotions? If you can, Liam is at the stage of accepting the emotions he feels, but not the feeling. It's complicated, but not that much: he is in love with Theo, he accepts it as an emotion, acknowledges it's what he's feeling, but he still has to work on accepting the feeling itself - as in, make peace with the fact that, why the fuck have I fallen for Theo.

He swears softly. I need to take my mind off this, he thinks, but it's difficult. It's all his brain can think of. 

He looks around. It's eerie, walking alone in a moonless night, the fog eating up the feeble light coming from the street lamps. He smirks: he can think about at least a dozen horror movies starting this way. He could find a nice, giant pyramid shaped head mask to wear for starters, and see what happens if someone spot him. Finding a two meters long sword to carry, or drag, behind himself might be a bit more difficult... But wouldn't it be appropriate? The city itself has a 'hill' in its name, and it's very, very silent right now.

He chuckles at his own private joke. He shakes his head and slides his fists in the pockets of his jacket. He notices that if he crosses that and that street he can get to Mason's. He does, and slithers up to Mason's window to check on his best friend. When he's close enough, the scent of sex hits his nose even through the closed window, and he hesitates. He's sure all the inhabitants of the house are sleeping, but he stops to double check. When he peeks at the glass, he can see Mason, sleeping... Hugging Corey. 

Blushing, but smiling fondly at his two friends, he leaves. At least he didn't catch them in the act, he thinks. He goes back to his aimless walk and passes by the Stilinski's place. The house is empty, the sheriff must still be at the station. Liam checks his phone: it's 2am. True, it's Beacon Hills, and they're expecting another bomb to blow off, but, shouldn't the guy sleep at such an early hour?

Liam contemplates telling Stiles, but he wonders if it's a good idea, ratting the sheriff out. 

/If your dad is still at the station at 2am, should I tell you?/ he types, but he doesn't send it. Stiles would ask him what he himself was doing, awake and around at 2am, and Liam really doesn't want to talk about Theo with Stiles. 

Especially not with Stiles, and not before speaking with Mason.

He changes his route, phone back in his pocket. He walks with no apparent direction. Or maybe he has one, maybe a part of him was trying to get him here this all time. The ironic thing is that Liam seriously doubt he could have tracked this place down rationally. The power of instinct, uh?

The blue Toyota truck is parked in the usual spot. The windows of the apartment on the third floor are dark, but - Liam's heart skips a beat, and he freezes where he stands.

Theo - whether it's Liam's scent, or whether he hears Liam walking or the beat of his heart - Theo's head perks up. He's leaning forward, braced on his hands and pressing heavily against the railing of the balcony. He's wearing pants but no top, and Liam's breath catches in the back of his throat. He doesn't even know why.

Theo's eyes are burning, but they aren't supernaturally colored. They're their natural, grayish green color, and they bore into Liam right where he stands. Liam holds that stare for a while, looking at Theo just as Theo looks at him. The more he looks, the more he is looked, the more Liam starts to feel a completely new, uncomfortable feeling bloom in his chest, something like fear, telling him to turn tail and run, run fast.

Maybe Theo senses it, or maybe he just decides he's done with this staring from afar: he hoists himself up, over the railing, and jumps three floors down. He lands in a perfectly composed crouch, right in front of Liam, a move so smooth Liam would be jealous. If he was in a right state of mind. In the one Liam is now, he freezes on his spot and can only hold Theo's eyes, madly trying to understand where this fear is coming from.

He has never been afraid of Theo, not even when they were enemies. Why is he now?

Theo stands up. Liam swallows, desperate to break the tension, and to shake this fear off. Theo frowns, he must have caught on it, and he opens his mouth to, Liam is sure, demand an explanation as to why the hell is Liam afraid of him now - but, before he can actually voice that, Liam sees them. The moment Theo uncurls from the ground, Liam notices he is barefoot, yes, but he is also presented with Theo's naked chest, arms and shoulders in all their glory. Even the sweat pants the chimera is wearing ride so low on his hips that Liam can almost see the guy's pubic hairs.

Guess what? The fear turns into anger.

Liam clenches his jaw and his fists. He knows where those bruises come from. The bite marks, the scratches. And he knows what is this smell on Theo, that Liam has no memory ever scenting on him.

He wants to drag Tracy down and tear her throat. The pull to re-establish his claim on Theo is so strong that Liam almost moves in that direction. But then the fear is back - what the hell am I doing? Why the hell am I turning into some caveman monster?

The fear turns again into anger, this time against Theo. Couldn't he put on a fucking shirt? For fuck's sake, Liam has already enough on his plate without needing to witness proof of that bitch fucking his - ok brain, no. Stop now.

Theo closes his mouth. Liam is sure he knows at least ninety percent of what has just flashes into Liam's mind. So he clears his throat awkwardly and nods.

"Cool jump" he comments, voice tight, aiming for smooth and missing epically.

Theo is weirdly serious. Or maybe not that weirdly, if he really knows at least a bit what has just happened in Liam's mind. But that is when Liam takes a good inhale and he can detect something else in Theo's scent - not just the sex. Theo smells like anger, fear, despair, and, as if that wasn't enough, an insane amount of regret.

The lines on his cheeks are dried tears, Liam realizes. It's a punch in the gut, the evidence he wanted that proves that Theo doesn't want Tracy. That Liam hasn't lost him. But, fucking hell, if he doesn't want her, why does he let her fuck him!?

He wants to shout the question at Theo, demand an answer. But he doesn't. Theo still holds Liam's gaze. Silent and waiting, because, despite this idiotic situation with Tracy, Theo isn't stupid.

"What are you doing here?" he asks. 

His voice is hoarse. Liam tries not to read too much into that. Maybe it's just that he hasn't spoken in some time. So he shrugs and goes for casualty. It's easier than it was before.

"Couldn't sleep, I thought I'd walk for a bit" he answers, honestly.

Theo nods. Liam hesitates, before adding: "and you?"

Theo snorts, looking away. A small smirk creeps up on his face, and Liam likes it. It's bitter but very much Theo like, and Liam has missed it. Having it back is like one more thing that goes back to normal, the way it was before. This is the Theo Liam understands, sort of, the one who punches Liam and whines when Liam punches back, not the one who touches Liam's knee and tells him too many things with silent eyes, making Liam's heart clench. The one whose eyes say, I'm sorry I'm hurting you but I have to do this and gets seriously hurt in the meantime.

"Same" Theo answers, honestly, with his Theo ™smirk. Liam hears his heart beating steady, and he thinks Theo wouldn't bother putting that effort with a lie, with him. Not right now, especially. So he smiles tentatively and nods, pointing backwards.

"Wanna join me?" he asks. Theo shrugs and nods. Like it wasn't a big deal, when they both know it is. They both know there is more to this than what words are saying. 

They walk together. Theo's bare feet are silent, more than Liam's rubber soles. Although Theo is usually quite graceful when he moves, and he knows how to make as little noise as possible. Liam tries not to get too bothered by the fact that Theo is half naked. It's not the first time that he sees him shirtless. It's also not the first time that he finds him hot. Or that he notices the way he smells - holy crap, Liam, you are an asshole. You're so busy leering on the guy you didn't realize he must be freezing. The fog is lifting up and it has left an unpleasant chill in its stead. 

Liam unzips his jacket and takes it off.

"Aren't you cold?" he asks Theo.

Theo shrugs, crossing his arms over his bare chest. His very muscular, incredibly well defined Liam Dunbar stop staring chest. Hoping he's not blushing, Liam offers him the jacket. Theo's breath catch, and he spends a few seconds watching Liam, the jacket, back to Liam. 

He must be thinking about Tracy, realize. Tracy will smell Liam on Theo, if Theo wears the jacket. 

The thought does crazy things to Liam. First of all he really, really wants Theo to wear the jacket now. To challenge Tracy. But also because he really, really wants to see how Theo looks, wearing his clothes. Smelling like him. Smelling his. 

Jesus Christ Liam calm the fuck down. Calm the fuck down and stop thinking about pushing that jacket on Theo, slamming against the first hard surface available and hug him and rub against him until he smells like you, till you can be sure he'll never be able to wash your scent off - oh my fucking hell.

What the fuck am I doing. 

Liam bites his lip, still holding out the jacket. He doesn't want to jump Theo to declare war to Tracy. He doesn't want to want Theo like that. He wants Theo to wear the jacket because he's cold. Be wants Theo to wear his clothes because he feels comfortable with Liam, and he sure as hell does not want to push Theo anywhere, if Theo isn't interested.

But Theo smirks, Cheshire cat and green, knowing eyes. He wiggles his eyebrows too, the little shit, and takes the jacket. He wears it, even if it's a bit shorter in the arm, and loose on the shoulders. 

Liam's heart stops.

Seeing Theo with his clothes on is, apparently, something Liam is not ready for. His mind goes back to all things like marking his territory - marking Theo, possibly applying a new layer of bruises and bite marks to replace the fading one.

Theo starts walking again. Liam hurries to catch up.

"She's going to smell you on me anyway" he explains casually, slipping his hands in the pockets of the jacket. Liam bits his tongue to keep from saying, good, so she knows you belong to me. 

He really really doesn't want to think he owns Theo. That Theo belongs to him. He doesn't want to cage him, he wants to love him. 

Then he wonders, if she's going to smell me on you anyway, can I throw you against a wall and kiss you?

Mmmm, bad brain, baaad brain. This is going too far. 

He clears his voice.

"Look, I wanted to tell you" he starts, but he stops.

Theo quirks an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

Eh, Liam thinks. 

He takes a deep breath and starts again.

"I understand, you thinking you owe her. I understand that you feel in debt"

Theo stops and looks at him with wide eyes.

"You do?"

There is something raw in his face, something like hope. Hope someone understands? Or hope that Liam, specifically, does? 

Liam is a bit sad to admit it, but it triggers a fit of anger again. It must be the frustration, seeing Theo acting like he has to offer himself in sacrifice like this. For what. 

Liam nods and starts walking again, Theo catching up easily.

"What I don't understand, however, is why you have to whore yourself out to her"

Yes, he knows that hurts Theo. He knows this isn't him being at his most delicate. But he's angry, ok? And he's hurting, too.

Theo stops in his tracks, frozen. He pins Liam with cold, angry eyes. He looks vaguely like he used to, dangerous and wild. If only Liam could smell the frustration and the disappoinment under that - Theo must have really hoped Liam really did understand.

Guess what, darling: I didn't. Because you're being stupid.

Liam stops and meets Theo's eyes. He tries to stay calm.

"You have no idea what you're talking about" Theo says, and makes to walk away, but Liam grabs his wrist and stops him.

"Of course I do. It's written all over you. Theo, please" 

The anger dims, letting hurt float up.

"Tell me why you are doing this"

Theo freezes. Liam can see the moment he realizes he wasn't expecting Liam to beg. Green eyes move to the hand Liam has closed around Theo's wrist, then he sighs, and looks up again, meeting Liam's stare. Only there is something that Liam doesn't like, on his face, a sort of resignation to a trial that he didn't want to submit himself to. A determination to do something he really doesn't want to. 

For a crazy moment, Liam remembers that Theo used to be the enemy.

"I love her" Theo says.

Clawing Liam through his chest would have been better.

Liam can hear the lie, the moment his heart misses a beat. He reacts without even thinking.

He roars and punches Theo, and realizes it only when he smells the coppery scent of Theo's blood. Theo cradles his bleeding nose with one hand, the other arm raised in mid-air.

Liam is about to apologize, but Theo's eyes stay down, on the ground, and he's blushing. Embarrassed. 

The anger fires up again, and Liam roars a second time, but he stops before he lunges for the chimera, who's doing little to protect himself. 

"Lie to whoever you want, Theo. Lie, if that's what she wants you to do. But don't you dare lie to me"

He walks away. Theo doesn't follow. He doesn't bother running. He walks slow, knowing that Theo can smell his tears just as Liam can smell Theo's. 

When Liam reaches home, it's almost morning, and there is a cross-legged Laura Hale sitting on the grass right under his bedroom window. 

"Round two?" She asks. Derek peeks out from the shadows, but Peter is missing.

Liam doesn't bother with questions - why are you here, how do you know, what should I do. 

He just nods and follows her.

Xxxxx

The phone rings. 

Jordan is dreaming about Afghanistan, and it startles him awake. He is pointing the gun he keeps under his pillow, aiming in front of him, before he realizes he's doing it. 

He's alone.

He blinks. The phone is ringing. Right. He scrambles his way out of the blanket and gets to it, but he's too late, he's lost the call. 

Well, at least the number is saved in the phones memory, he thinks: he can guess what's going on, from the ID. 

He blinks once, twice. 

His phone tells him the lost call belonged to Theo Raeken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time. Again, please be patient with the typos, I'll go through it as soon as my brain is back.
> 
> Many thanks to all of you who have given a response on the previous chapter. I have noticed Tracy doesn't have many fans.. but try to bear with it anyway ;) characters are never just black or white. Have faith! This is thiam story, after all!
> 
> Anyhow, let me know what you think.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But in the dark, my love, in the dark...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smutty bits. Realizations. The dawn of truth. Cue in the Xena opening soundtrack please.

When the alarm rings, Jordan groans loudly. It echoes in the silent room, the sounds ringing louder and ominously. Jordan slams his arm down, hoping his hand will land on the phone instead of sending it toppling down. He’s lucky: his fingers close around the smooth case, and he brings the phone up, at an arm length over his face. With bleary eyes he squints checking the time, trying his best to ignore the blaring sound that the phone still emits, screaming it directly at his face.

He harrumphs and swipes the alarm off. His arm falls, covering his eyes and he sighs. Oh man, he is so tired. Why is he so tired? Oh right, he can’t put his phone in silent mode at night, because what if someone calls him and they need him, and he did, indeed, receive a call. At night. For help, presumably, because, why else would Theo Raeken call him at… 4 am if not for help? But then again, why would Theo Raeken call him, in the first place?

Shit. He has lost the call and tried contacting Theo, but with no success. He’s spent about fifteen minutes, still in bed, asking himself what to do. Should he get up, check on Theo? Theo is a big boy, if he is in trouble he knows how to take care of himself. Yes, but what if it’s supernatural trouble? Well Jordan, that kid knows how to recognize and deal with supernatural threats better than you do. But he’s still a kid, a kid that, maybe, has called for help…

Why would Theo call him and not pick up his phone right after?

He frowns under his arm. He’s fallen back asleep in the middle of all that internal debating, like a proper idiot, and now he’s both embarrassed and feels guilty for, probably, maybe leaving Theo in trouble. But Theo isn’t stupid: if he needed help, surely he can’t have called just Jordan. He must have tried the station as well. Right? 911 is easier to compose than scrolling through the contact list to find whatever name Theo has saved Jordan’s number under.

Jordan sighs, moving his arm from his eyes but leaving it on his forehead. He dials the station and calls. Deputy Beth Johnson picks up.

“Hey Parrish” she greets him.

“Hey Beth, hi”

“Oh, first names? You never call anyone with that. Should I feel flattered, Jordan?” she jokes.

Considering that she is quite the pretty girl, definitely the prettiest in the station, Jordan is about to facepalm himself. So much for his policy of sticking to proper, formal manners.

“Sorry, Johnson, I still haven’t woken up properly” he apologizes.

“You calling me in bed? Jordan, this is really going in an interesting direction” she jokes.

Jordan blushes. Way to go, put your foot in your mouth, idiot.

“Aehm. I wanted to check something with you?” he tries to move the topic: “did we receive any call for help tonight?”

“Mmm, not that I remember. Let me check… no, not at all. A pleasant, tranquil night. Or, we still haven’t found whatever we should have, I guess”

Jordan hums. He agrees with her. It’s Beacon Hills, there is a murderer sorcerer on the loose, playing with a magic ritual that brings people back from death after killing others: something must have happened. But it’s highly unlikely that any resurrected person has called 911 or the town’s station.

“What time has the sheriff left?” he asks, both because he’s promised Stiles he would keep an eye on the man (and because he cares for his superior, ok, the man is a good person but he’s terrible at taking care of himself), and because, you never know, maybe Theo has called the sheriff?

“He left at 3 am” Beth answers, and she doesn’t have to add anything, her tone explains enough.

“Ouch” Jordan comments, shaking his head and lowering his arm.

“Yeah. Next time he exceeds midnight this week, I’m calling his son” Beth Johnson threatens.

Jordan chuckles.

“You do that, Beth”

He promises he’ll be at the station soon and closes the call before he makes a fool of himself any further. He spends another long minute staring at the ceiling, his phone in his hand, biting the back of his knuckles.

So Theo hasn’t called the station. Or 911. Just him. Which means that whatever was wrong was supernatural related. Or personal, but that’s something that he still hesitates to consider, the possibility that Theo might have called him, just him, for help. But, he tells himself, if this has to do with anything supernatural, probably he’s called the sheriff, too. What time has he called Jordan? 4 am. If Theo has called Jordan first, then he can’t have reached the sheriff after 4 am: the man must have collapsed into dreamland.

He gets up, showers quickly and leaves, chugging down the quickest breakfast he’s ever had since coming back to Beacon Hills. He tries to smother down the feeling that he should have done something, should have gone to check on Theo, if only because it distracts him. He has the feeling Theo is safe, no supernatural threat running after him… But, what if he’s called for a more personal reason?

‘Enough, Jordan. You fell asleep like a fucking moron and now you suck it up. Maybe he’s called the sheriff’ he tells himself, driving faster than normal to reach the station.

It’s eight thirty in the morning and he has left five hours before, but of course sheriff Stilinski is already in his office. He looks tired, and, now that Jordan is learning to rely on his sense of smell, he can also say the man even smells tired. Plus he has bags under his eyes that are almost dark as bruises would be.

For fuck’s sake, Jordan thinks, hiding an exasperated glare directed his superior’s way. Sleep a fucking bit, sir. Do you even remember you’re human.

“Good morning sheriff” he greets him, polite and neutral.

The sheriff stands behind his desk, with folders open and papers spread about. He is reading from the one he’s holding, and lifts his eyes when he hears someone approaching. Jordan stops just inside the open door and nods at the paper.

“Morning, Parrish”

“Sir, did you receive a call tonight?”

The sheriff frowns: “Me, specifically? From who?”

“Theo Raeken”

Sheriff Stilinski raises his eyebrows so up they almost disappear in his hair, looking surprised at the request and positively baffled at the idea Theo might call him. Which Jordan understands, considering that the sheriff is very open on exploiting Theo’s incredibly deep knowledge of the supernatural for the sake of this case, but he’s still far from forgetting the blood staining his hands.

Nonetheless he doesn’t question him and checks his phone, still wearing his thoughtful frown.

“No. Should I have?” he asks.

Jordan’s gut churns. Fuck, he should have gone to check on Theo. What if Theo has had time only for one call? What if he’s dead, what if – ok, Jordan, calm down. This isn’t Afghanistan. True, it’s Beacon Hills, which is sometimes worse, but not always. How likely it would be that Theo just hit the wrong number?

He bites his lip.

“Parrish?” Sheriff Stilinski prompts him.

Feeling stupid, Jordan tells him. Receiving the call, missing it for a second, getting no answer after. He hesitates, but then he reveals his fears, or concerns, as well, not leaving out the embarrassment and guilt he feels for what he knows count as a lack of action from his side.

The sheriff listens and then frowns some more.

“Mmm, I understand your problem, son. And, if it wasn’t Theo Raeken we’re talking about, I would tell you that you should have definitely checked up on him… but that kid knows how to detect a threat better than we do. If there is something he can do, is survive and protect himself”

Then he hesitates, eyes catching sight of the picture of one of their victims. He winces and nods.

“Then again, we are in the middle of a case where supernaturals got killed… but, the killer has moved from killing them to resurrecting them. It would be extremely unlikely that Theo was targeted…”

He doesn’t sound convinced.

“I hoped he might have called you” Jordan confesses.

The sheriff pins him with hard eyes, deep in thoughts.

“What if he’s called for a personal reason?” he inquires: “could it be?”

Jordan bites his lips. Yes, the answer is yes. He has still some trouble coming to terms with that, but, yes. He feels twice as guilty, if that is the case, if Theo has called and Jordan hasn’t helped him, and it had been a personal call for help. Jesus, he must have looked like the worst type of liar to Theo: he offered help, and when Theo calls, he doesn’t answer.

He swallows.

“Sir, I told him to call me, if he needed help. I told him he could count on me”

And if it feels again like being a teenager and telling his parents he’s fucked up, well, it’s his own fault, isn’t it? Jordan swallows and struggles to hold the sheriff’s stare. The man looks at him with slightly judging eyes, but, right when Jordan expects him to say, well son, you’re right, you have really fucked up, those eyes soften.

“Still trouble sleeping?” he asks.

Parrish sighs. There is no way to simplify this, to try to lie – he wouldn’t even dare to try and lie to someone like sheriff Stilinski. The man doesn’t need supernatural abilities, he’s just as good at detecting lies.

“Yeah” he admits, whispering it with all the shame that comes with the awareness that he’s far from the only vet with troubles to fit back into civil life.

The sheriff nods.

“Well, don’t worry. Theo is smart. If he wasn’t a killer, I would even say he’s one of the smartest people I know” he drops the folder on his desk and looks at the messy surface with unfocused eyes.

“I heard Tracy Stewart is back” he says, eyes meeting Jordan’s again.

Jordan nods: “she is, sir. She is with Theo”

The sheriff nods again, licking his lower lip with a thoughtful expression.

“You know, Stiles called yesterday. He said he couldn’t trust Scott to be objective enough with Theo, something about alpha protective streaks clouding his judgment. He said he wanted to check in with Theo and Tracy as personally as he could”

Jordan tips his head to the side, as if to say, I’m listening, go on.

“He sounded shocked. He called, expecting Theo to be all charming liar again, and instead found him completely at this girl’s mercy. And we know she was just as bad as him” the sheriff concludes, watching his table with all the judgement he can muster.

Jordan nods. The movements attract those eyes, but they soften, the moment they land on him.

“She was at the pack meeting yesterday, sir. I… it looks like she is basically guilty tripping him into not just staying with her, as in, taking care of her, but also… pursuing a relationship with her”

“Yes” the sheriff nods with energy: “that is exactly what Stiles also said. I don’t know what she has in mind, and Theo is far from your classic innocent, naïve kid, but…” he shrugs, grimacing, as if to say, it’s still very wrong.

“Sir, with all due respect, in this regard Theo is a naïve kid. And, I spoke with Laura Hale. She said the girl is delusional, thinking she can trap Theo up in guilt. Liam and Theo are each other’s anchor, so, if only for this reason, her grip on him will soon significatively decrease”

The sheriff nods: “That, and the fact that I am ready to bet he has a terrible crush on Liam”

Jordan smirks and shrugs, shaking his shoulder to say, well, there is also that, yes. Sheriff Stilinski sighs, rolling his eyes.

“This girl, she has always been the one I understood less. And she’s been back for... what, twenty-four hours? And already she is scheming to keep Theo under her complete control. But, I wouldn’t worry that much for Theo. As emotionally screwed up as he can be, sure Theo will soon realize he is walking straight into an abusive relationship”

Jordan bites his lip. He hopes the sheriff is right, but, personally, he isn’t that sure.

“Would he recognize one, sir? Before he’s in too deep? I’m not so sure. Laura said that he is really drowning in guilt and regret”

The sheriff hums: “Fine, his sense of self-preservation, then”

Jordan grimaces, skeptical: “Still too wrapped in guilt and regret even for that. Laura is sure he thinks he deserves all the worst”

Sheriff Stilinski snorts, shaking his head.

“As much as I am happy to know that now Theo can really feel those emotions, not just fake them, he still doesn’t deserve to wallow in them. And he still is a kid. He doesn’t have a clue on what is healthy and what not, so you are probably right, the guilt this time could annihilate survival instinct. You said Laura Hale is sure?”

Jordan nods: “Theo isn’t a reliable judge when it comes to good and evil, and we think he’s on the mend right now. Only, he’s stuck on a point that borders on self-hate”

The sheriff wiggles his eyebrows.

“Yes, well, I’m not saying he deserves the hell of a relationship with a nutcase, considering that he is right to feel guilty, and considering that he murdered this very same nutcase… But yes, he’s been to hell, we should probably hand it to him. He’s been different since he’s come back”

Jordan agrees: “I don’t think he realizes he has the right to refuse Tracy, sir” he explains, putting it into extremely simple terms.

Sheriff Stilinski sighs, prolonging it for enough time that Jordan starts to feel chest pain just looking at him and hearing the sound. He has to keep himself from place a reassuring hand over his lungs area.

“We need Theo, Parrish. We need him focused. We need all the help we can get and Theo is too precious an asset to loose him. And, as I’ve said, the guy is a murderer, but I suppose that hell works better than jail for any kind of crimes. We should treat him as anyone else… which means, someone must tell him he can take care of this girl, if he wants to atone, but he can set boundaries. Before it gets to the point of sexual abuse. I’m not even confident he might even realize experiencing it”

Jordan bites his lip.

“Uh, sir… That is already happening. Laura confirmed. Although that wasn’t really necessary, I have seen the way that girl behaves around and with him”

The sheriff sighs again, hands on his hips, rolling his eyes and staring at the ceiling for a long moment.

“Great. Then we have to do it now. He’ll never talk to Scott about it, and this is something I wouldn’t want Scott having to do it. Theo… Scott looks out for him now, but let us not forget Theo has killed him, once. Scott worries for enough things, already. We can do this, ourselves”

Jordan nods along, agreeing.

“You can do it, Parrish”

He blinks.

“Wait, what?”

Sheriff Stilinski pins him with a nonplussed stare.

“You have a connection with him. You have established it yourself. And you’re not even that older than him. It’s the perfect solution”

Of course it is, Jordan agrees. It’s only that he has no clue how to really put that from theory to practice. What should he even tell Theo? But, guilty or not for not checking up on the chimera earlier, Jordan clenches his jaw and nods. He can do this, he can talk to a kid.

“Good. Now let me call him here, I want him to see your list. And if he doesn’t answer, you can go check on him”

Jordan nods and leaves, walking to his desk. He sits and switches his laptop on. It’s still relatively new and not that easy, but he manages to tune out most of the white noise in the room and focus on the sounds coming from the sheriff’s voice. Theo answers the call with his pleasant voice, the one that everyone remembers him using every time he lied to any of them before. It’s not a happy memory and Theo should know better than using it.

Sheriff Stilinski requests his assistance with their case, can Theo please come at the station. He specifies Theo has to come alone. Theo tries to argue, but the sheriff doesn’t budge.

“I said alone, Theo. This is a police investigation, and you, not Tracy, are our external expert. I expect you here in thirty minutes, son. One minute more and I will send a patrol to come and take you, I swear”

Xxxxx

Twenty minutes later, Theo parks at the police station.

Tracy hasn’t been enthusiastic about him leaving, but she hasn’t protested much. Actually, she hasn’t protested at all, not after hearing Theo argue with the sheriff that he didn’t want to leave Tracy home alone. She’s smiled at that, him not wanting to leave her alone. She has even pressed his elbow, mouthing at him it was ok, when the sheriff has adamantly repeated Theo was to show up alone.

“I don’t want to leave you here” Theo has told her.

Tracy has smiled, kissed him goodbye, looked at him with dreamy eyes.

“I’ll play housewife while you’re out, don’t worry”

He gets off the truck and slams the door shut. He walks briskly towards the front door, only refraining from storming towards it because he knows it’s always better to keep a cool head. Even if he’s pretty sure the sheriff calling him to the station hasn’t much to do with their open case, or, not only.

Why the fuck has he called Parrish.

He gets in and nods at the deputy at the front desk. He nods back and just waves him in the direction where the office of the sheriff is. Theo nods again and goes. When did it happen, that he became such a familiar face around here, so much that he doesn’t even need to check in anymore?

He stops right outside the sheriff’s office, knocking on the open door. Parrish in there, too, both men standing at the desk and looking down at some papers. Parrish has an official looking document in hand and Theo, even from that distance, can read at least the word morgue in the header.

“Morning” he says, addressing both.

“Morning Theo” Sheriff Stilinski replies, gesturing him in: “Come in. This has just arrived, it’s the certificate of death of our third victims”

Parrish hands Theo the paper. He gets in, pulls a chair out and sits. He skims trough the certificate, reading and finding only confirmation of what they already know or have theorized. Which doesn’t really explain why they want him to read it. The uneasiness that still hasn’t left settles down again in his gut, churning. He shouldn’t have called Parrish. With his eyes still on paper, he sniffs the air: the men are one hundred percent focused on him. They reek on sympathy and decision, Parrish more than the sheriff. He also… smells like regret?

Theo frowns and hands the document back.

“This doesn’t say anything we didn’t already know” he points out.

Sheriff Stilinski nods.

“Correct. All our victims died for a stroke. Your idea, the note you made about fear playing a role in this… I think you are right”

Theo nods, slowly lifting an eyebrow. It’s nice to be told he is right, but is fairly sure they haven’t summoned him for that. He points it out, careful and neutral, and the sheriff makes a gesture to Parrish. The deputy hands Theo another paper, a print out with a numbered list of names and dates. There is a column whose header says, survived or not.

The names all contain a Mark, and the last name has number…

“Seventy?!” Theo exclaims, pinning the men with an incredulous glare: “is this a joke? Are you telling me seventy people called Mark have been buried alive in this town? What the fuck?!”

“That’s what it looks like, son” sheriff Stilinski replies, widening his eyes in sympathy.

What the fuck. Theo has expected to find out there wasn’t just one case of a Mark involved with living burial, but, shit, seventy cases, only for people with a relatively common name. He hasn’t expected burying people alive to be this trendy. Guess what, it’s Beacon Hills, bitch: if it’s gruesome enough, here is fashion.

“How did you even get a round number?” Theo asks.

Shit: seventy cases only with people called Mark. How many other cases have there been, in total?

Theo goes through the list again, noticing that there has been an exponential increase of occurrences after 1962. Curiously enough, they have stopped around the late Eighties, and went back to rareness during the nineties. This can’t be a coincidence: someone must have been in town during those years, between 1962 and 1990, spreading among the citizens of Beacon Hills the idea that burying people alive was particularly a good idea. Whatever the final aim might have been.

“We put together more cases” Parrish answers, pointing at the sheets: “we have thirty-eight people buried alive and not rescued in time. Then these here are the people who were founded and saved”

“Thirty-six?”

“Yes. And these here, these are the six missing cases”

“What about them?” Theo asks, frowning.

Sheriff Stilinski points his index towards Theo: “They are the reasons why you are here. They were people buried alive, but, when the police went to rescue them, the graves where empty, showing all the sign of people making out of them on their own”

Theo lifts an eyebrow.

“You think they were supernaturals” he comments.

The sheriff nods.

“We don’t know if the sorcerer could be one of these six” Parrish starts: “but we think he is definitely one of the Mark in here”

Theo nods. It could be. Or it could be connected anyway with the reason why burying people alive was trendy between 1962 and the late Eighties.

“What about the dates, what happened in 1962?” he asks.

“We think someone came to town and spread the practice” sheriff Stilinski answers: “some kind of religious figure, or even fanatics. We are trying to look into that. Of course it doesn’t really help, they could have arrived in town that year and have registered in the census only years later, or not at all… so our research might be completely fruitless”

Theo nods: “What about the date it stopped? Maybe this guy died”

“Or he was otherwise incapacitated” the sheriff nods, agreeing .

Theo mirrors the movement, nodding slightly. He is thinking. He has another hutch, and he knows better than to avoid them, but he hates when he gets one that is so loosely connected with the rest of the picture. It feels tremendously hazardous, trusting what is essentially just a gut feeling. But a gut feeling is a gut feeling, and, in his case, it’s also something that an altered part of his brain has picked up before the rest of it.

“You have a feeling, don’t you” Stilinski asks, sounding neutral and casual but also…proud?

Parrish grins, crossing his arms on his chest: “A police kind of feeling, or a enhanced brain one?”

“Don’t know, never had one of the first” Theo deadpans, putting all his effort in not blushing in front of the sheriff.

“Whatever. What does this feeling tell you?” the sheriff insists.

Theo looks down again, reading carefully the list.

“I think we should focus on the six cases that might be supernatural, but also on the first ones that happened in 1962. The first one rescued was in 1973, this… Mark Doyle. Let's consider him, too”

Parrish and the sheriff nods. Stilinski moves closer and is about to add something, but he is interrupted by a polite knock on the door. They turn and find deputy Gomez, waiting patiently by the door.

“Sir? Doctor Deaton called, he must talk to you. He says it could be relevant to the case”

The call is connected to the sheriff’s phone.

“Good morning, sheriff” the polite voice of Doctor Deaton greets them.

“Good morning to you, doctor. What can I do for you”

“I have news that can help with your investigations, I think, if you have a moment” Doctor Deaton explains.

The sheriff snorts: “Doctor, I have a feeling I would sorely regret not having it. Please, what is it?”

The veterinarian hesitates: “Well, you see… our sorcerer has resuscitated a third person” he announces.

The three in the room freezes and look at each other. Theo leans closer to the phone.

“Doctor Deaton, hi, this is Theo. It wasn’t Allison Argent, was it?”

“Hi Theo. No, it wasn’t. It was an old friend of mine, Mr. Tale. Dave Tale. His wife called me this morning to tell me he has made it home… he died five years ago. They want to know what is going on , and they told me they would love to help with the case, if you could just send someone over”

Xxxxx

Of course it’s Theo and Parrish that end up sent to the Tales. Theo mutters something about not getting even paid for all the free help he’s giving to the BHPD, to which the sheriff replies with a frankly frightening, all in due time, son.

Parrish goes to pick his car up, leaving Theo alone for a few minutes. He takes advantage of that to call Tracy, to let her know he won’t be back any time soon. She takes the call after two rings, giving Theo the time to wonder what she might be doing.

“Hey” he says, when she picks up.

“Hey babe. Is everything ok?”

Her voice sounds relaxed and happy, as if she’s enjoying her solitude after all, but also cautious, worried that something might have happened to him. Theo screws his face up at the name, not sure he likes the diminutive, but feels warm at the way she worries for him.

“Yes, yes. No worries. Just wanted to let you know that I am not coming back yet. The sheriff wants me to go with Parrish to question some people” he explains.

“Oh. Related to the case?” she asks, curious.

“Yes. There was a third resurrection, we have to question the guy”

She chuckles. “You sound like you do this for work. Ok then, Hey, this is actually good news, wasn’t Scott’s pack waiting for a third resurrection? This confirms their hypothesis about the ritual”

Theo hums, agreeing.

“Wait, was it Allison Argent?” she asks again.

“No, it’s an old guy. A supernatural”

“Oh, ok then. Uh” she hesitates, then: “do you need backup? Will you be in danger? I know Stilinski doesn’t want me close to his case, but, if you need help…”

Theo blushes slightly. He appreciates the concerns, on one side, and it’s not surprising that Tracy offers it, being so loyal to him. It kind of makes him feel a bit like she’s treating him as a kid, though, and he’s not sure how to handle that.

“No, no, don’t worry. This guy is just a seer. Only powers he has are psychic”

Another pause.

“Theo, are you sure that’s better?”

Theo chuckles.

“Yeah, no, I am sure. This guy is friend with Deaton, I think we can trust him”

“Oh. Ok then. And, you’re going with Parrish, you said?”

Theo hums in agreement.

“Yeah, ok, I guess a hellhound can offer some protection too” she laughs.

“I’ll see you later then?” Theo says, half asking, half informing her.

“Yeah, ok. Go, be my hero. Don’t worry about me, I found the place where this family kept the books. They have some amazing works in here”

This time it’s Theo’s turn to laugh.

“Nerd”

“Like you can talk. Later. Oh, Theo?”

“Yes?”

“Tell me you love me?”

He hesitates.

“I love you” he lies, smooth. It leaves a terrible aftertaste in his mouth.

She chuckles, happy, and hangs up. Theo turns and spots Parrish, waiting for him in the car. He’s less then ten meters from him, he must have heard a lot of his conversation.

It must be the most awkward eye-contact in the history of humankind.

Xxxxx

Parrish drives. They don’t talk and there is a very unpleasant silence between them. They don’t have much shared history of travelling together, but Theo doesn’t remember his last rides with the deputy being this grating.

The guy doesn’t even look his way, for crying out loud. Yes, fine, Theo keeps his eyes glued on the windshield, true, but, whatever.

Of course this is when there is the ominous sound of a resigned sigh, and Parrish pulls over, parking awkwardly half on the curb and barely respecting common traffic laws.

“Ok, look, the sooner we do this, the sooner it will be over” he starts, addressing Theo with such a hard glare that makes him more uncomfortable than any time he has seen a Dread Doctor approaching with a scalpel. Even if back then he had been strapped to a metal table.

Slowly, Theo brings his eyes front once again, focusing on the tiny spots on the glass. It’s extremely unlikely going to work, but, maybe if he doesn’t give the deputy the attention he wants, maybe he’ll feel embarrassed enough he’ll drop it?

“Theo”

Of course not. Whatever. It was worth a try.

He turns and meets Parrish’s clear eyes. They used to remind him Derek’s, but, after seeing the guy – after seeing him again after almost ten years, he realizes it’s not Derek’s, it’s Jackson’s. Parrish’s eyes look vaguely like Jackson’s. When they are both human, obviously.

“I’m listening” Theo informs him, because, only sass can save him now. Maybe.

“Why did you call me?” Parrish asks. Sheesh, don’t you beat around the bush, officer.

Theo wonders if he can pull the whoops! Sorry, I misdialled act. It’s extremely unlikely. If it works it’s only because Parrish allows him to change the topic. And he obviously isn’t going to. So Theo sighs: looks like he doesn’t have any other chance but the cold, hard truth.

He looks away, bringing his eyes to the windshield again but not really seeing it. The thing is that he doesn’t even know why he has, indeed, called Jordan Parrish. After the fight with Liam he has felt alone and… can your soul feel sore? That is what’s happened to him. He has felt an unusual rush of fear, almost panic, and, amidst the mess in his head, a voice has echoed, firm and secure.

If you have a problem, you can call me.

Ah, good thing the deputy hasn’t mentioned answering, though. But, let’s be honest, Theo tells himself: what would I have told him, if he had, indeed, picked up the phone? When he himself, in the first place, didn’t know why he had been calling?

He swallows. He has the feeling that, just by describing what has objectively happened, even leaving out some details – like the way Liam’s eyes were blown with lust or the way Theo has almost shivered under his stare, Theo thinks Parrish can gets the picture, possibly might even understand what has happened better than Theo himself. Even if Theo should know, because, well, he had been there.

“I had a fight with Liam” he explains.

It sounds childish and it is extremely embarrassing, but there is no other way to say it. Not without mentioning the details he has chosen to omit.

Deputy Parrish doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t say anything, so Theo imagines it’s because he expects him to add something else. He does.

“He said he understand me owing to Tracy, but… not staying with her”

“That what he said?” Parrish asks, laconic.

Theo rolls his eyes. Fuck this guy, how does he even know?

“He said he doesn’t understand me whoring out to her”

Parrish hums and smirks. He’s nodding, as if he was really close to say anything along the line of, good question. Theo pushes his blunt nails in his fists. He will not punch deputy Parrish. This is not Liam. He will not assault an officer. Not even if he is being a snotty asshole. Especially considering that he is trying to help.

“Why do you think Liam said that?”

‘Come on, are you trying to shrink me?’ Theo thinks, glaring his way so hard that he’s sure the man hears his words even if he doesn’t voice them. Still, Parrish doesn’t react, just lifts an eyebrow.

Theo rolls his eyes.

“He doesn’t like me fucking her, I guess”

If he has hoped that the vulgar language would somehow rattle the deputy, well, he’s mistaken.

“Do you?” he asks instead, nonplussed.

“What, do I fuck her? Yes”

“No. Do you like it? Fucking her?”

Definitely not minding bad words. Ok. Well received, deputy.

Theo bites at the inside of his cheek. That’s a good question. He doesn’t know how to answer. Does he? Well, yes. Not only because it’s pretty easy to see the evidence of that, touch it or smell it, but, well. He just does. Physically, sex with Tracy is good. It’s true, he doesn’t have anything else to compare it with, but, it feels good.

“I do” he answers, simply.

Parrish hums, a long, unconvinced sound.

“But?”

“But what?” Theo asks defensively.

“You know as well as I do that you were going to say ‘but’ something” Parrish deadpans.

Theo sighs. He hesitates, passing a hand through his hair. He gesticulates a bit, can’t keep himself from doing it.

“I.. I don’t mind the sex. And she is… she is great. I just wish I could really fall in love with her, you know? Instead of just pretending I do. I don’t like lying, I guess. Sue me. I’ve done it for so long… I thought, after hell I could live without it”

There, there it is. The truth that he hasn’t even allowed himself to think, and he’s finally said it, out loud. To someone he barely knows.

Theo is baffled at the complete lack of mistrust he feels. He really, really trusts this man. He wonders if this is a sign that should worry him, this new inability to keep layers between people and the hard truth. Him stripping his soul is a very new thing. Maybe he’s finally caught whatever plague ails the McCall pack?

That, or someone has drugged him. Like, since he’s been back from hell.

“So, she makes you lie, and you don’t want to lie” Parrish repeats.

Theo nods.

“Why don’t you tell her that you don’t want to lie? You can make it up to her without lying. The sleeping together part, well, that’s up to you to decide. Although I personally think it’s better if you fuck someone when you’re romantically involved with them. But, that’s my personal opinion”

Parrish watches him with a glare. Theo lifts an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, are you – is this an intervention?”

Parrish shakes his head, dead serious.

“No, but I promised you I would help you. And I’m helping you. I’m telling you, if you don’t want to lie, you don’t have to. You know what, let me ask you something. And I swear we will never speak about this again. Ever. Sober at least”

Theo snorts.

“Ask”

“Who would you rather sleep with, Tracy, or Liam?”

Theo… Theo freezes. His brain echoes that question until it’s maddening, decomposing it into tiny, tiny pieces, but, when they get back together, it’s still there. Would you rather sleep with Tracy or Liam?

He looks at Parrish with a naked expression. He wouldn’t be able to lie and pretend even if he wanted to, in this moment. Why does Parrish bring up Liam? Oh my god, is Theo that obvious? Wait, if Parrish puts together Tracy, Liam and love in the same sentence, does this mean I really love Liam?

“I don’t want to hear the answer. That’s your business. I just wanted to make you think” Parrish adds, as an explanation.

Theo clears his throat.

“About what”

“What you’re doing with Tracy. If you don’t want to lie and she makes you lie, what the fuck are you doing?”

Parrish eyes him with a hard stare.

Theo swallows.

“I owe her”

“Yes” Parrish agrees, nodding with strength: “That’s why you take care of her. You don’t want to leave her alone, you make sure she’s healthy and protected. It doesn’t explain why you put on this sick act like you loved her, and you fuck her as if you didn't have an alternative”

Theo almost flinches.

“You can owe something to someone, even something this like in this case, and at the same time still be allowed to set boundaries, you know? You have the right to” Parrish goes on, looking at Theo straight in the eyes.

Theo bites his lip until he tastes blood. He won’t ask it, he won’t ask, really, am I allowed? But in his head, the question is being screamed repeatedly. Really, can I? Am I still good if I do? Or, well, I am not good, but, would it really not be bad, if I did?

He nods.

Parrish wouldn’t lie to him. Parrish isn’t lying to him. It’s what his eyes are telling him, right now.

He grits his teeth, then he says it.

“Thanks” he whispers, uncomfortably.

Parrish nods, turning to the wheel and switching the engine back on.

“You’re welcome”

Xxxxx

The Tales live in a pretty, one-story house, so small that it’s barely more than a bungalow, really. It’s entirely covered in wood and painted white, surrounded by a garden with green grass trimmed minutely short. There is only a single bush of flowers, a rampant, pale pink rose bush.

All in all, it reminds a lot the house of Christ Wright and his fiancée Darlene, not too far from here, and Theo bets it isn’t a coincidence.

They knock on the door and an old woman comes to greet them. She has a polite smile and warm eyes, but she also looks as if she has recently undergone some seriously shocking experience. She can’t be older than sixty, but something in her expression suggests Theo that whatever it was, it shocked her a bit too much than her age should allow.

She introduces herself as Mrs. Tale and ushers them in. The small hall leads directly into a bigger room, brightened by the light that filters through a huge window. The space serves both as living and dining room, with a big table on one side and a sofa and armchairs on the other, facing a fireplace. They can see the small kitchenette connected to the room, and there is a closed door, presumably leading to bedroom and bathroom. They don’t need to bother with that, though, because the person they are looking for is sitting on one of the armchairs facing the fireplace.

Mr. Tale, presumably, looks slightly older than Mrs. Tale. He looks tired and pale, but alive, which is probably more than he could say before this morning. A blanket covers his legs, and his hands are joined in his lap.

“Oh, good morning officers, good morning” the man says, his voice bright and chipper. Theo has the feeling this guy has always been a happy person, and it’s not the kind cheerfulness that comes from having just been given a second chance to life.

He gesticulates them closer and motions to the couch, apologetically pointing at his legs.

“I’m sorry, I am afraid I can’t get up and shake your hands. My legs won’t take my weight, I don’t even know how they could take me home. Please, please, have a sit”

“Don’t worry Mr. Tale” Parrish says, raising one hand. He and Theo go for the couch and sit. Mrs. Tale joins as well, taking the last armchair left, next to her husband.

“Doctor Deaton explained us you almost lost the ability to walk, years ago” Parrish goes on.

Mr. Tale nods, wincing: “Eh, it happened. The joys of being an emissary can be offset by the risks… Alan told me many times”

“Sorry to hear that” Parrish adds with sympathy.

The man shakes his shoulders, still as bright as a LED bulb.

“It’s alright. I can’t complain, what with this incredible gift that has been made to me”

“Officers, do you know if Dave is in danger?” Mrs. Tale asks, bending slightly forward.

“We can’t be sure, but, this has happened to other two people already, and they are as healthy as they were in life” Theo answers, trying to stick to facts but also willing to offer the Tales any reassurance he can give them.

Mr. Tale screws his eyes, tipping his head to the side, then burst into a happy expression, as if he just saw an old friend he hasn’t seen for years.

“Oh, bless my soul! Irene!” he pats his wife on her knee, waving his hand in Theo’s direction.

“This young man is no officer, this is Mr. Raeken!”

Theo freezes.

Parrish mirrors him, even if he tenses up much less. Theo knows that he has never seen this people, but, if they know him, they must have seen him. Know him from his past. And that can't be, without the Dread Doctors in the picture. So much for the Tales being good people, friends with Doctor Deaton.

He swallows.

Mrs. Tale makes a small ‘oh’ sound in realization and softly pats his husband on the leg.

“Oh, Dave, you’re making him worry, he thinks you know him because of the Dread Doctors! Now now, Mr. Raeken, don’t worry. We know you are much more than that” she turns to reassure Theo.

Theo feels like he very much need some reassurance, right now. He throws a flashing glance to Parrish to check in with him, and sees his own expression of ‘what the hell’ mirrored on the deputy.

“Yes, I apologize, Mr. Raeken, I didn’t want to bring up bad memories, I really am sorry” Mr. tale hastily adds, nodding with a serious face. Then he tips his head again t the side, squints, and claps his hands together.

“Oh, but I truly am an idiot, aren’t I! You are much younger than in my visions! Irene, I am afraid we are confusing the poor man incredibly” he turns to tell his wife. She hums in agreement and smiles to both of them.

“Mr. Raeken, my husband, as you might know, is a seer. He often has visions of the saviors of the town he is connected to. In this case, whoever saves Beacon Hills” she explains, Mr. Tale nodding alongside it.

“He has seen you for a long time” she continues: “as he has seen many other people, supernaturals or not”

“But I have to say, you look much younger than you did in my visions. Even in those where you looked the youngest, you couldn’t have been younger than twenty something. How old are you now?” Mr. tale inquires.

Theo, still surprised into stupidity, answers without even thinking, but his voice is horribly croaky and he has to clears his throat before repeating. Mr. Tale nods as if everything was clearer now, and it probably is, for him.

“Ah, I understand. You are simply too young now. Well. This is probably sounding very confusing to you, I am afraid” he looks at Theo as if he understood the mess in his brain, which is, really, all his fault.

Theo grimaces and pulls his lips in a very thin line.

“Sort of” he answers, briskly.

Mrs. Tale places a warm and comforting hand on his knee, smiling with knowing eyes.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Raeken. You are more than just the mistakes you have made”

Theo feels his eyes freeze and then widen impossibly, but he can’t stop them. The old lady smile if possibly even warmer, then she gets up and offers to make them some lemonade.

“She makes an excellent lemonade” Mr. Tale assures them, his wife leaving for the kitchenette.

Parrish chooses that moment to perk up to life again, and he clears his throat and invites Mr. Tale to tell them whatever he knows about what has happened to him. The old man does, with Parrish listening carefully, nodding from time to time, occasionally asking questions.

Theo, on the other hand… his brain is still echoing the words from Mrs. Tale, in loop. You are more than just the mistakes you have made. Adding that to Parrish’s own line, not long ago, the one about Theo still being allowed to draw boundaries to protect himself – well, let’s say that it’s unsurprising, how little Theo can contribute to the questioning process.

He feels so shaken and mentally screwed up to really focus on what the other two, three when Irene Tale comes back, are saying. Instead of Dave Tale talking about stumbling in the dark on badly limping legs, Theo is still thinking, shit, do I really have a chance? Can I really be something beside the murderer? Something more than a former murderer?

Was this what Liam has tried to tell him, back then, a few nights ago, at the graves?

The old seer has spoken about an older Theo. Older than twenty, at least.

Shit, I didn’t even believe I could survive that long.

And now someone tells him he will. He can. There is a future, a glimpse of which the old man has seen, where Theo lives till he’s older and he actually plays the hero. Him. The former assassin.

Between that, and Parrish asking, would you rather fuck Tracy or Liam – uh, stop right there brain. Stop now. It makes no sense thinking about Liam right now. Especially about any chance Theo might… get to know him better. Biblically. Because, come on. Yes, he wanted him, Theo has seen it in the blond wolf’s blue eyes. But Liam is straight. And it was probably an anchor thing or something. Liam is very territorial, after all. Or maybe not? Maybe he has the chance to, ehrm, know Liam in the biblical sense?

But, why would he even want to? This is a mess. Before yesterday, Theo has never given a shit about sleeping with someone. Then Tracy initiates him to sex, and now it’s all he can think. Maybe she’s woken up a dormant part of him, or maybe he was bound to be attracted to Liam anyway, soon or later.

Wait. Attracted to Liam? Or Tracy? Shit, it's a mess. He knows he likes to kiss and fuck Tracy. But, how would it be with – shit, no. Fuck fuck fuck. Bad brain, stop. This is useless and dangerous thinking. Stop now. Also, you are in the middle of a police investigation, you are doing the closest thing to work you’ve ever done. You will not get an awkward, awfully timed hardon right now.

He clears his voice and refocuses. He loses the thread of what is being said after short. When they leave, promising the Tales they’ll visit and call, even after the case, Theo’s brain is still buzzing with white noise.

That’s how he ends up in Parrish’s front seat, the man driving silently, and the memory of Liam, the night before, lips bitten red and bloody, blue eyes blown up - oh god. Seriously, brain. Now is not the time to remember how good Liam smells. Or the way Theo has shivered under his possessive glare.

Fuck. Parrish drives silently. Theo hopes hellhounds don't have the sense of smell wolves have, or he’s fucked. The man is friendly, sure, but he doesn’t want to try their relationship getting it up so close to him.

Also, he has another problem: sex with Tracy is good, yes, but… he’s never been this horny just by thinking about her.

Which, shit, yes, it confirms every damned theory. He’s in love with Liam. He really, really wants Liam to trade place with Tracy. Even if he still wants to make sure Tracy is well protected and taken care of.

He clears his throat. When they get to the station, Theo gets off fast like lightning. As soon as he’s in his pickup he exhales so long his chest hurts, his lungs probably asking him why the hell has he picked up this bad habits from the sheriff.

Good question.

He drives home, calling Scott on his way. No surprise here: Scott wants a pack meeting for later that day. Theo promises he will be there. Then Scott babbles something about Tracy, about Theo bringing her but, maybe Theo would do better coming alone?

He snorts. Yeah, definitely there is something wrong with him and Tracy, if so many people want to keep them apart.

And maybe they are right.

Theo tells Scott not to worry about it, and drops the call. But he knows what he has to do.

Xxxxx

Tracy opens the door, before Theo can knock, grasp the handle, do anything along that line. She takes a step towards him and plasters herself against his chest, arms circling his neck and going for a deep, deep kiss. Looks like she's missed him, his brain sarcastically observes.

Theo bends his head to the side, hugs her closer and kisses back. She tastes good, and it's really good, the feeling of her soft body against his own. He slithers one hand up and fists her hair, bending her head the way he likes, to kiss her even deeper. She moans into the kiss, grinding against his front. She feels his erection and grinds with more attitude against it.

Theo groans into the kiss, pushing back. He likes the friction - he loves the friction, but, this is also the moment he remembers who made him hard in the first place. And it wasn't the thought of kissing Tracy like this. He gets even more worked up, thinking about a hard body against his own, replacing Tracy's, a firm chest instead of her hips and breasts.

He moans softly, sneaking one hand to grab her hip. He fists her hair and pulls her away just a tiny bit, not detaching their body, just to be able to talk.

"Tracy" he growls. She hums, smiling soft and sensual, winking at him. He lets go of her hair and grabs her wrist, guiding it down to cup him through his jeans. She chuckles eager and sexy, and squeezes the way she knows it will make him moan. It does.

She looks down, moving her hand along the impression of his erection, pressing fabric down against him. It's maddening and so good, but Theo growls, and she, still touching him, she looks up and meets his eyes.

"Tracy" he repeats, pushing his hips forward, pressing against her hand. She squeezes again.

"Yeah, Theo?" she whispers softly, close to his mouth.

"Stop making me lie. You know this isn't for you" 

She closes her mouth, grinds her teeth. Her hand squeezes harder and he whimpers. Fuck she is good. She smirks, naughty and sexy, and Theo really wants to push her up against a wall and dive into her.

"No? Who where you thinking about, then?" She squeezes harder and Theo rolls his eyes back.

"Let me guess. Was it your wolf boy? Were you thinking about how hot Scott's precious little beta is? Did you imagine him here, rubbing against you?" 

She chuckles, deep: "Because, I can tell you, that's something that I'd love to see, baby"

Theo opens his eyes. He's panting slightly under her ministrations, and he pushes his hips and rubs against her. She's so good, the perfect temptress, but, if he thinks about Liam...

"So you know" he whispers, so close to her face.

She slides her hand inside and cups him through his boxers. She nods, serious, the lust not really dimmed by knowing Theo wasn't thinking about her. Because it's clear as day that she knows, she knew, she's always known.

"I know he isn't just your anchor" she admits.

She twists her hand the way she's learned it makes Theo's eyes roll back. He grinds his teeth and struggles to keep looking at her.

"So you know" he repeats.

She nods again.

"I do" she confirm.

Theo growls, baring his fangs.

"So stop making me lie" he orders, still rubbing against her.

She squeezes harder and nods: "Will you fuck me, anyway? Even if it's the thought of him that gave you a boner?" she asks with a small voice.

He grinds his teeth: "Do you want me to? Even if it's not for you?"

"You're everything I will ever want, Theo. I don't care who you get it hard for, as long as I can help you getting rid of it" she answers, looking at him with dreamy eyes, full with lust and adoration.

He sighs, loving every moment her hand moves that way. He grabs her hips and squeezes, bringing her even closer.

"I just want you to feel good" she adds, keeping up with the friction, and fuck, it's divine. Theo bends down, kisses her neck, sucks on the skin. She moans, slips her hand inside his boxers and he bites down on her tender skin.

"Not arguing with that" he moans against her throat.

"Just let me make you feel good, Theo, even if you don't love me" she whispers.

Theo peppers kisses along her neck and her cheek.

"Even if I don't?" he asks, looking straight into her eyes.

She nods. Then she pursues her lips a bit and frown, just slightly: "Don't you love me at least a little bit?" she asks, with a small, baby voice.

Theo growls and lifts one hand to caress her cheek. He isn't entirely sure where this protective streak is coming from, but, he just rolls with it: "I'll kill whoever hurts you, I swear" he promises: "I'll take care of you" he whispers against her cheek. He slides his arm around her and presses her closer to his chest, forcing her to step on her toes. 

He kicks the door shut without turning and lifts her up by her hips. She closes her legs around him and locks her ankles behind his back. She has to slip her hand out in this position, and she uses both to clutch at his shoulder. Theo walks the three steps forward to the first wall and presses against her, making her gasp. He grinds down against her and kisses her with passion, dominating her entirely. Tracy has always been active in sex before, but now she goes pliant, letting him have the upper hand. She melts under him and follows every hint, bending her head the way he wants her to, kissing back, pushing down against him.

"Tracy" he pants.

"Nm?" is all she can say, eyes rolling back when Theo pushes right against her clit. It's a surprise she can even still hear him.

"Don't make me lie" he growls, right in her ear.

"You... You used to like lying" she struggles to reply. Theo growls and bites her neck again with blunt teeth, this time a warning more than foreplay. She moans and arches her back, her human nails digging in his shoulders, almost tearing the fabric.

"Ok, no more lying, fine, that's fine. Now please, Theo, please" she begs, panting. She looks up into his eyes with the most pleading expression he has ever seen, and it tears another growl out of his throat. He likes it, he likes to see her squirm under him, he likes to hear her beg. He would like it more only if she was blond and male and Liam.

"Please fuck me" she begs.

Theo doesn't answer. He just complies. There's little he would love to do more than that.

Xxxxx

Theo drives to the pack meeting, Tracy sitting next to him. 

She has come back to life only the day before, but they have already fallen back into the easy camaraderie they had before he killed her. Which is why the silence that is currently suffocating them both can't be described as anything else but awkward.

Theo grips the steering wheel so much his knuckles go white, and he has to put a lot of effort on not tearing it out. This is his fault: he shouldn't have slept with her. He has told himself he could do it, fuck her without it meaning anything, but, how can you fuck someone who tells you you're the love of their life during sex, or, even if they don't say it aloud, they still look at you meaning it anyway? 

I guess the sick way I feel about myself for doing it proves I really am changing, he thinks cynically. 

Sex with Tracy has been, as always, amazing. But this time Theo hasn't kissed her sweetly after, he has just left and gone for a shower. She has joined and smiled around him, but it has felt forced anyway. 

And now Theo can't even look at her in the eyes, let alone himself.

Tracy sighs, prolonging it for so long Theo can almost feel the strain in her lungs.

"We made it awkward, didn't we" she comments, casually.

"Yep" he answers, bitter and faking cheerfulness he doesn't feel.

She sighs again. Theo mirrors that, but for a much shorter time, and passes one hand through his hair.

"Tracy, I'm sorry. I swear -"

"This is when you say you can't fuck me if you don't love me, isn't it?" she interrupts him.

Theo sighs, closes his eyes for a moment, then reopens them because he's driving and he would really like not to crash. Drama is nice, life is better.

"I can't apologize for killing you, but I can't sleep with you" he starts. He throws a glance at her and holds her stare as long as he can, what with the driving.

"I will never apologize enough to you for what I've done to you, but sleeping with you will only make me hate myself more, and not help making it up to you" 

She nods: "Theo... " she starts, then she drops it, looks out the windshield for a while. Theo dares another glance her way and sees her swallowing.

"I already told you, my life belong to you. I was dead the moments the Doctors injected me the first time. Then I really died, and it was you who brought me back. You might have killed me, last time, and you might not be the reason why I'm back again... But my life is still yours. It will always be" 

There is something in her eyes that weights too much. Not just responsibility, and, even if Theo doesn't know much about it, he is sure this is not love, either. Whatever it is, it is something more, and he doesn't know how to handle it. But he can't refuse to, he can't just ignore it, because he knows he's responsible for her: it might have to do with Tracy being a chimera, it might be due to the kanima part she has in her, and that, her being all that, is Theo's responsibility.

"I'm sorry" he whispers, honest.

She smiles sad and shakes her head: "Don't. I told you. I... I have loved every minute of this fucked up, fake act of a relationship you've done for me. I loved every second you've told me you loved me, even if I knew it wasn't true. But this hurts you. I see that. And... Above all, I can't stand the thought of hurting you. I'm sorry Theo" 

He swallows. He feels terrible for it but, the truth is that he enjoys hearing Tracy say it. He is even relieved to. He hopes he is allowed to, he hopes he has the right to feel this emotion, whatever it is, even if it might be a slightly bit revenge, or satisfaction, and for a crazy second he is tempted to ask Parrish.

Except Parrish told me, didn't he.

"I need to stay close to you, but I can't hurt you. And if lying hurts you, then stop. If... If sleeping with me makes you feel bad, then don't" Tracy finishes, her voice a broken, sad, honestly raw whisper.

"Tracy" he sighs: "I swear, if I could make myself love you, I would"

She chuckles, and it's a wet sound. The air between them carries the salty scent of her tears.

"It's ok Theo. I know you care for me anyway"

He looks her way, no shield between them, and holds her eyes as long as he can.

"I do. And I promise I will take care of you"

She smiles more, then she pulls down the sunshield and uses it to check her make up. She pads it where the tears have smudged it.

"We are creatures of the dark, you and me. But you are weird, you want the light" she looks at him and smiles, sad but proud, even encouraging. Theo asks himself what she sees, when she looks at him this way.

"You are after the light you see in the pack, and in Liam. You are like a moth to a flame. And Theo, I don't know if dark creatures can get to light, but, for all that matters, I hope you will" 

Theo doesn't know what to say. He swallows. There's little else he could do.

"And in the meantime, we can always keep each other company, in the dark" she jokes, closing the sunshield.

He swallows again and smiles, trying to go for a joke as well, to lighten the mood.

"Well, you surely are the most beautiful moth I have ever seen"

She chuckles. She rolls the window down, so that the suffocating smell of pain and sorrow can leave, before it intoxicates them to the point of never leaving them. Theo drives a bit faster to help get more air in.

"You're an asshole, though. You were already sexy enough being bad. Why did you have to turn into an even sexier dork now!" she exclaims after a while.

Completely taken aback, Theo almost startles.

"Excuse me? That was a rethorical question, right? It sounded like a rethorical question" 

"Oh my God, you are blushing. Theo, you are blushing! What, you're no longer used to people telling you you're hot? Come on. If Dunbar doesn't bone you, I swear, I will kill him"

Theo shoots her a worried glance, only slightly fake: "You're joking, right? Tell me you're joking"

"Yeah, I am. I would only paralize and punch him stupid when he's defenseless on the ground"

Theo snorts: "...it wouldn't take long" 

Tracy laughs.

"So! Tell me about the meeting. What should I expect?"

Theo gets the not that subtle hint to change the topic and goes along with it. He rolls his window down to have the cloud of oppressive sadness dissolve faster - it's working already with one down only, but they are also almost at Scott's place, and he wants to get rid of it before they make it there.

Theo starts telling her the story of the list Parrish and the sheriff have worked on, how long it is, their theory about the dates.

"What the fuck?! Who moved here in 1962 and told everyone it was a great idea to bury people alive?"

Theo snorts, absolutely agreeing: "Right?!"

"Beacon Hills, I swear" Tracy murmurs, shaking her head.

Xxxxx

Everyone is already there. They spot Derek's Camaro and the black SUV that Argent is driving these days. 

Tracy still smells sad, but she is doing a great job at putting up a happy front. Theo walks beside her wondering if he should hug her, but has the feeling it wouldn't be a good idea, and not only because Liam is inside the house. Tracy might punch him too.

Corey opens the door before they reach it. He looks startled, probably hit by the sadness that envelopes Tracy as soon as he opens the door, and he scans her expression quickly. 

"Hi Corey. Care to let us in?" she greets him, pinning him with a hard stare.

He steps aside and nods, blushing. He doesn't meet Theo's eyes, which is all Theo needed to know he's suspected he was the reason Tracy is sad. And now, after Tracy glaring his way, he probably feels guilty for it.

They enter the sitting room, where everyone has already taken a seat. Parrish close to the Hales, Mason and Corey on the loveseat, Liam on the couch, bracketed by Malia and Scott but not restrained by their claws, this time. The blond wolf has slumped into his seat and keeps his hands in the pockets of his lacrosse jersey, looking as I'd he didn't have a care in the world. If it wasn't for the fury barely repressed in his eyes, that is.

Tracy snorts and starts walking towards Corey and Mason: "Guys, do you mind if I squeeze in there?" she asks. She can obviously see that adding a third person on the loveseat will make it a tight fit, but she marches toward them anyway. 

Mason and Corey hurry to answer with echoing words of agreement, straightening up to leave her a bit of space, Corey even motioning to Mason to actually sit in his lap. Theo sees Laura Hale roll her eyes, Derek and Peter looking terribly not impressed with the drama. Parrish finds Theo's eyes and widens his own, as if to say, moron, now it's your turn.

"Theo" Laura Hale barks, and really, are these guys working together? It looks like they're working together.

"Sit" she orders.

Theo blushes but nods, walking to one of the chairs left empty and facing Scott. He meets Liam's eyes totally unintentionally, and holds the blue eyes of the beta wolf.

Then Liam smirks, stands up and all but struts to Theo's side, letting himself fall on the chair next to his. He's very aware of everyone's eyes on him, as his smirk informs everybody. Theo lifts an eyebrow looking his way when he's sat. 

"What" Liam asks, nonchalantly.

Theo arches another.

Liam gestures to the couch, where Scott and Malia now have a lot of space for themselves: "I was too squashed there"

Theo lowers one eyebrow but leaves the other up, smirking with a knowing face. Liam frowns and growls playfully.

"Are you calling me fat?" 

"I literally haven't said a word" Theo drawls, turning to look at Scott.

The alpha looks amazed at the way things are playing out and almost jumps on his seat when he meets Theo's expression. 

"Ok then, how about we start! Mason, please, you guys have reached some conclusion on the ritual we are dealing with, right?"

He rushes the words out and turns expectantly to Mason. The human stammers and clears his throat.

“Yeah, ok. So, I don’t know how much you guys remember about the theories we came up with last time” he starts, looking around the room. Some people are nodding, other frown.

“Ok, in case some of you don’t remember, I will repeat it quickly now. We had a third resurrection, which confirms our hypothesis, and as the same time it helps reducing the possibilities”

“Don’t tell them the five, Mason, simplify. Go for the two” Peter interrupts and suggests. At least Theo thinks it's a suggestion, even though it's formulated so that only Mason can get it. But get it Mason does, as he nods and looks as if he is rethinking whatever he was about to say.

“Right. Ok, so, we have found two rituals that could be the one we are dealing with. They are similar, which is why there still no way to exclude one or the other. The aim is different, though”

“Is the one with the army of zombies still in the list?” Liam pipes up.

Mason grimaces: “Yeah, unfortunately. That’s the ritual of the shadows”

Many heads perk up.

“Shadows? As in, the shadows that we heard the guy mention?” Laura Hale asks, frowning the Hale™ frown.

Mason nods again: “That would be the case, yes. But the other one, it’s called the night ritual, or, the ritual of darkness. In this one, the performer kills three people, then they resurrect other three, and by then they have enough power to kill whoever they want”

“Which sounds less likely but would still suck” Malia comments, laconically.

“Agreed” Theo comments not looking her way. He keeps his eyes fixed on Mason, instead: “what about the one of the shadows, care to tell some more?”

“The next step, if this is what we are dealing with, would be mass resurrections. Well, mass is a relative term, it depends on the strength of the performer, how good they are with magic” Mason explains.

“We have esteemed that this guy could resurrect up to ten, twenty people per shot” Peter underlines, looking pointedly at Scott.

“Wow. That… that does not sound like a nice perspective. What about these new resurrections, would they be like the past ones?”

“As in, would they be like us?” Tracy adds, gesticulating.

Mason shakes his head: “No, they would be much more like what we expect a zombie to be. Uh, I mean…” he blushes terribly.

Laura Hale smirks like the devil she is, and Tracy snorts: “Don’t blush Mason, it’s what we are. Theo too, I heard?”

Theo snorts, flipping his middle finger her way. She beams at him, then turns again to Mason with an expectant look. He clears is voice and rushes back into his speech.

“So, yes. More like the zombies we see in the movies. So, to sum up, in one case? Mass murder. In the other? Zombie army. To use, presumably, for mass murder”

“I heard it’s a thing” Theo comments under his breath before he can stop himself, and when he realizes what he’s said he already meets the bewildered and stunned expression of many of the pack. Not Tracy, who looks at him with delighted eyes, and not Liam, who guffaws a laugh behind his hand.

“So did I” Peter echoes, innocent and devilish at the same time, smirking in a way that is disturbingly similar to the one Laura was only a second ago.

“Whatever” Malia butts in, rolling her eyes: “mass deaths. Yay. Not happy. Can we stop him?”

Scott nods her way, taking the lead: “Yeah, the thing is, if I haven’t misunderstood, Mason correct me in that case… the rituals require different places for next step, The darkness one, the one for mass… deaths, involves living people, so this guy needs to be in a crowded place for the next step. While the ritual of the shadows will most likely take place in the cemetery” he looks Mason’s way for a conformation, and Mason nods.

Liam groans.

“Please don’t tell me we can only wait for his next step, again, to be sure”

Theo snorts: “Well, it would be the best way to be sure” he points out.

“But we can split up, anyway” Scott suggests.

Theo grimaces: “How can you predict which crowded place he will pick? That is too random. We can try and split into small groups, try to control the most crowded place in town, but you will never catch him this way, we wouldn’t be enough. And, let’s not forget this guy can hide under a magic barrier”

“It might be easier with the cemetery, though” Laura Hale points out.

“You want to patrol it to see if we can do something to at least interrupt him?” Derek asks.

She nods: “And we need to work out a way to get through this barrier of his”

“Lydia told me she and a friend of her are working on it. They aren’t sure yet, but they are looking for… a sort of universal barrier-destroyer thing” Scott replies.

Parrish frowns at that: “A friend of her? How did she even ask that?”

“Her roommate is a witch, she knows about us” Malia explains tersely.

Parrish makes a small ‘oh’ sound.

“So, you think we could patrol the cemetery?” Theo asks Laura: “Do you think it would be feasible? Even if we don’t know how to break the barrier yet?”

She shrugs: “Might be worth a try. Maybe we won't catch him, but we can always try to stop the resurrections” she points out.

Scott nods: “I agree. And tomorrow we can work out how to split into crowded place. Like, school, the hospital”

“Why is it always the school and the hospital, Jesus…” Liam mutters under his breath.

“Cheer up, Liam, the mall will surely be another target. The police station too, potentially” Theo replies, looking at Scott with slightly unfocused eyes.

“We should patrol the woods, too. We can’t take for granted that the resurrections will happen in the cemetery. Especially not given how many people were buried in the preserve” he adds.

Scott beams.

“Yes! We got this, you guys!”

Argent sighs.

It’s a soft sound, and the man hasn’t uttered a word the entire meeting, but that single sound is enough to kill anyone else in the room. Everybody turns to look at him. The hunter shakes his head, clearly hating to be the messenger of bad news.

Scott frowns, disappointed.

“Chris? We don’t got this?”

Argent grimaces.

“I’m sorry, Scott, but I have to tell you this. It’s Monroe. She is in New Mexico. She isn’t involved in this, but I have reasons to believe she is working on something”

Several noises of frustration and angry growls follow.

“Fuck that bitch” Liam swears, and he’s clenching his fist so hard that the claws he hasn’t noticed tear through the skin, blood staining his jersey.

“Liam” Theo chides him, annoyed, frowning without looking. He’s busy holding eyes with Argent, the eyes of the man telling him exactly how bad it looked, for him to give them this news.

And the answer is: terribly bad.

Scott sighs in frustration, turning towards Laura Hale. She snorts, but nods, no need for words.

“Thank you” he says, with the most honest and open expression Scott has ever had.

She chuckles: “Whatever, Scott”

Xxxxx

The night is dark, no moon, and made chilly by the same fog that still hunts the town, exactly like the night before. It comes from the trees and spreads over the entirety of Beacon Hills, making everything eerier and creepier.

The sheriff is about to toss his morale in the trash and say fuck it, because he can’t reach a single conclusion that makes sense from his research work that he has been doing for the past four hours, when deputy Johnson rushes into his office.

It’s extremely unusual to see her actually run, she usually keeps her cool and, despite the young age, Sheriff Stilinski has yet to see her lose patience or focus – well, looks like this is her first time for that.

“Johnson? You ok?” he asks, concerned.

She looks as pale as she would if she had seen a ghost. And considering where they live, it’s damn well likely.

“Sir, I have a situation on the phone… a woman is telling me her dead husband is headbutting the door of her house screaming about orders. She sounds too scared to be a joke, and, after last year… should we believe that?”

The sheriff closes his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.

Right. No ghost. Only fucking zombies.

“I’m too fucking old for this shit” he mutters under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another way too long chapter is done! Sorry for the typos, once again I promise I'll reread as soon as I regrow a brain.
> 
> Also: I told you this was a thiam story guys :)
> 
> Something else: guys, remember, no character is just either totally good or totally bad. Tracy included. (Well... Except Monroe. But that's a topic too complicated to discuss for the limited 4597 characters I have left in this section)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abandon all certainties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zombies, awkward conversations, revelations, bad puns, fairy dust. Enjoy.

Sheriff Stilinksi and deputy Parrish try their hardest, but they soon have to surrender and admit that yes, the one in front of them is as much a mindless zombie as those you see in horror movies. And not particularly high-quality ones, either.

At least it can be contained in a cell. They don’t know how to kill it, they don’t feel too comfortable with the idea of killing it – would it even be murder? So, it being contained is a very good thing. The sheriff retreats to his office, Parrish in tow. The older man falls into a chair and pushes the heels of his hands on his eyes, pressing lightly. He murmurs the usual line about being too old for this shit.

“And god damn, I know I say it every time, but it is still so fucking true. Every, fucking, time. Shit”

The string of profanities is a testament to the sheriff’s words. Parrish winces, sitting down in an only slightly more controlled manner. He whole-heartedly agrees with the sheriff, maybe not the part about him being too old, but the fervent desire that this town give them all a break from calamities.

He asks the sheriff how he wishes to proceed. He realizes too late how wrong he has phrased that. The sheriff makes a weird expression, a sort of frown creeping up on his face, a mixture between disgusted, vexed and utterly fed up. He has never looked like Stiles’ father, especially with that raised eyebrow.

“How I wish? Ah. How I wish to proceed is by pretending that I’ve never seen a fucking zombie like the one over there” he exclaims, pointing his index finger towards the holding cells. The flailing gesture eerily reminds the deputy of Stiles. He doesn’t comment, knowing better. In fact, just as he expected, the sheriff calms down immediately after that comment. He sighs and covers his eyes with his hand, again. Back into professional mode.

“We need an expert on this. We have to call Deaton. I want Scott here, too. Might as well call Theo. Hopefully he will be able to help us”

Parrish snorts. Deaton, ok, but, Theo has been serving as their external expert on the supernatural at an almost official level for quite some time, now. Never mind the fact that they could still incriminate him for murder and bring him in for the next twenty-something years. Or that he is barely of age.

“Sir, after this, someone should hire Theo as a permanent consultant on the supernatural” he comments casually, sort of joking, but not entirely.

The sheriff snorts, removing his hand.

“Who knows, it might be the only way to keep him out of trouble. I’ll think about it” he says, and Jordan likes the serious expression on his face as he says it. They don’t discuss the topic of Theo any longer, and call Doctor Deaton. The veterinarian answers with his usual voice, polite and all-knowing, yet almost reticent to tell you what he knows. Jordan would find it infuriating, if it wasn’t for the sheriff, who manages to read into every hint the doctor drops. And proceeds to explain it to Jordan, as well.

Deaton shows up. His face is all aplomb and composure, tranquil attitude and polite tone. He approaches their living-dead prisoner, going as close to it as he can without being bitten, vomit, or being otherwise hurt. It is still close enough for him to draw a conclusion, if not a diagnose (can you diagnose a walking corpse? Having other than a nasty case of death?). He also explains that the idea of zombie bites being infective and spreading zombie-ism as a germ is an urban legend. However, they are dead, and they carry any sort of disease any other corpse would, so, better not let it get close to you with those nasty, rotten teeth, gentlemen. He himself keeps very far from reach of the zombie, being the smart man of science he is.

Jordan watches the zombie with morbid fascination. The creature, which they have by now identified as previously Mr. Dawson, who passed away two years ago after a fatal car accident, flails restlessly in any given direction. If you don’t push it (him?) away, it will keep walking into the bars of the cell repeatedly, even slamming with a certain strength. Jordan tries to not find it funny, but, it is.

At least if you don’t consider the way it looks, or stinks. The smell of death and rotten is overwhelming. There is a terribly foul looking, yellowish foam coming from its mouth, as revolting to see as to smell. From time to time, broken, decompose vocal cords try to articulate a quite bossy request for orders.

“It’s like it’s pissed nobody told it what to do” the sheriff mutters under his breath, looking puzzled.

Jordan agrees.

Deaton slaps his gloves off, which he didn’t use much but put on anyway.

“I don’t think you need an expert opinion, but, let me assure you that this man is still dead. And it is no longer the man it was. In fact, it’s more a thing than a man” he informs them, with the amount of sass that Jordan suspects he needs to survive facing this sort of thing on a daily basis.

Then the good doctor almost retches and has to cover his mouth. He groans, and Jordan grimaces in sympathy.

“Should have used the cream for bodies” Sheriff Stilinski mutters under his breath, referring to the nice, innocent looking tube of odor-killing cream they keep in the cabinet. Parrish agrees they should have remembered to use that, yes.

They call Scott and Theo. They should have anticipated that, with a nose better than theirs, a werewolf and a chimera part wolf and part coyote would fare even worse than them, breathing the stench of death the zombie emits. Scott has to stop even before he makes it to the cell, almost throws up on the station floor. Theo arrives only a minute after Scott, immediately gets to helping him, holding the alpha up on his feet. Scott doesn't think twice, grabs Theo’s shoulder, wraps an arm around his chest, dives with his nose straight into Theo’s collar.

Even if this is one hundred percent justified by the situation, and Theo understands Scott preferring to smell him rather than eau de zombie, he still has to fight down a blush. Because Scott now is very, very close to him, in a way no one has ever done. And survived after doing.

Together, the boys make it to the hall leading to the cells. Theo is so happy for his slightly more dulled sense of smell that engineered chimeras get, compared to the one true werewolves have, and yet he still dry heaves a couple of times. He pushes the lapel of his jacket up against his face, focusing on his own scent, on Scott’s, the way the two mixes.

Scott does the same, inhaling air barely one millimeter from Theo's skin. He still struggles to keep from spilling on the floor the content of his stomach. Theo is also, very obviously the only reason the alpha still stands. It’s a bit awkward, for both of them, being so close, Theo carrying Scott. It's the type of awkward you would expect with closed proximity after killing someone, and especially if you end up with their fangs and claws so close to your throat and stomach. Yes, there still is room for the embarrassment to escalate, but that would only happen in case the alpha dropped a hand in Theo’s crotch.

And yet, at the same time, having Scott plastered against him, his nose pressing on Theo’s jugular, this feeling of intimacy that he absolutely isn’t used to... This is not just embarrassing, this is also... right. Theo can’t explain it, not even to himself, but it is. And it doesn't help thinking about how the only other person who has ever been this close to him, without risking his life, is… well, Liam.

Scott fists Theo’s shirt, gripping it tightly in one hand. He nuzzles his nose into Theo’s shoulder, inadvertently sliding it along his neck. He presses down so hard Theo is almost shoved back. Scott’s other hand fists Theo’s hair. It feels intimate and not too remotely sexual, leaving Theo completely puzzled, until he realizes Scott is just trying to take in more of his scent. He sneaks one arm behind Scott, keeps the alpha closer.

Scott growls softly, a thankful appreciation. Theo turns and catches the amused and fond expressions they're getting from both Parrish and the sheriff. He feels vindicated when he sees also a healthy dose of guilt in the men’s eyes, for putting them in this uncomfortable situation.

Holy shit, this stench is unbearable. This isn’t the usual smell of rotting bodies, the sickening sweet mixture of death and sewers Theo had to grow accustomed to pretty fast growing up. That, he has eventually learned to ignore it, but this, this smell here? This is way worse, this is rotten, death, decay, and, worst of all, magic. Nasty, mean magic, twisted into a dark cocktail that is simply revolting. And he has lived with the Dread Doctors, so he can talk.

Once the zombie being declared a zombie, Theo is extremely happy to drag Scott away from the cell, and consequently put as much distance as possible between the cells and his own nose, too. He drops the other boy in a chair, sneaking into the safe shelter that the Sheriff’s office is, his own legs giving up immediately after. He finds himself once again in a somewhat intimate position, kneeling this close to the alpha of the pack he’s hanging onto, like a parasite. But Scott looks so pale, breathing heavy as he did when he had asthma, and Theo doesn’t want to leave. Scott’s hand darts forward, grabbing Theo’s and closing around it. Theo squeezes back, sanctioning the decision to stay.

Doctor Deaton opens the only window in the office, and offers them the cream to desensitize their sense of smell. The sheriff refuses, so does Parrish, although he looks tempted. Theo takes it, and, after a few checks that he won’t empty his stomach on the floor, Scott.

“Fuck, sorry Theo, I thought that was going to end bad” Scott murmurs, his voice hoarse. He takes in big gulps of hair, letting go of Theo’s hand and smiling his dopey smile.

Theo snorts and shakes his head. Scott has used about half the cream in the tube, splattering it under his nose without bothering to spread it. He looks adorable.

“So, this zombie. It asks for orders” the sheriff points out, looking at Deaton.

“Probably the sorcerer hasn’t given it any” Theo reasons. He is still hunched down at Scott’s feet, one hand on the chair the alpha sits on.

The veterinarian nods.

“I agree. And another thing we can say is, this is a corpse, a man cerebrally dead, but it must have conserved some sort of memories, even faint. It knew where home was, where to find people that were important for the man he has been”

“What did the family say, when they have seen it?” Scott asks, still breathing with his mouth open.

“They think it was a prank. We are going on with that” the sheriff answers.

Theo snorts: “The truth would sound less credible” he points out with a smirk.

Sheriff Stilinski shakes his head, agreeing. Scott sighs, bent forward.

He rubs his eyes, tired and stressed out. Theo is still so close that he could touch his head, if he only tipped is own. He breathes in Scott’s scent, the smell of shampoo, soap, body spray, all so very similar to Liam’s, Derek’s, Theo’s own. It’s the same, actually: there is only one brand of products that werewolves, or chimeras with enhanced sense of smell can use without sneezing their noses off. 

But Scott’s personal scent, the smell of his skin, it tingles at something within Theo, something that has to do with his new desire to belong. Scott lifts his head, doesn’t speak a word, but they hold eyes, and their eyes do all the talking they need to have.

The moment is cut by Scott, nodding again. The alpha sighs and stands. Theo, on the contrary, pushes backwards and sits on the floor. He braces his knees close to his chest and looks up, at Scott.

“We still need to cover any crowded place the sorcerer might attack. I don’t trust him enough to rule that chance out, yet. We’ll split, we can cover more ground like that. Theo, will you come?”

“Actually Scott, we need Theo here. We need his help with the list of the suspects” Sheriff Stilinski intervenes: “I can lend you some deputies to help you, in the meantime”

Scott agrees.

“Let’s hope we find this guy soon, people. Possibly, before someone else dies”

Xxxxx

Theo is sitting in the sheriff’s office. He’s starting to hate this place, the entire police station. It doesn’t raise exactly what you could call good memories, what with him almost dying in it, in a hunters siege. Or that merry time when he was held in a cell (the very same that now hosts the zombie) by the same sheriff, who now requests his help.

Scott is gone, replaced by Tracy. Theo has insisted that the sheriff and Parrish cut their shit about not wanting her around – if he needs to do research work, then he might as well have competent people around. Not that he questions Parrish’s way of doing his job, but, still. Tracy gets Theo. And yes, it is also because Theo wants to send them the message as loud and clear as possible, of no longer being played like a puppet by Tracy’s will.

After the close death by embarrassment he’s risked during that terribly awkward talk with Parrish in his car, he damn right deserves some pride-healing showing off. He’s back on tracks, he’s got his shit handled (mostly), he’s back to a somewhat healthy relationship with Tracy: he wants to show them. Sue him.

Anyway, this is how Theo ends up the way he is: sitting in a very uncomfortable wooden chair, one of those that look like they've been conceived to be this uncomfortable on purpose, shuffling papers spread on the entire surface of the table, from time to time receiving one or passing another to either Theo or Tracy. This, while Parrish sits at another table, in front of a laptop on which he types rhythmically, and Tracy is on the floor, sitting cross-legged, papers stacked up surrounding her from every fronts, looking something between a pre-med student the night before the final exam and a demon summoner.

They are all they have for the research team: can’t really involve other deputies, what with the sheriff having sent those he still undeniably trusted along with Scott, and not really deeming the rest fit for this task. He himself had to leave, to take care of the Dawsons. He might look like he’s won the best one, leaving this godforsaken place, but, considering he has to explain three kids why they have seen the corpse of their daddy thumping on their door – yeah, well, Theo doesn’t envy him.

Still, researching in just the three of them is difficult.

Parrish, at his table, goes through the list of people that had been buried alive but were saved, trying to look for anything they might have had in common, making them potential targets.

Tracy works on everything they have about any Mark person that might be their sorcerer. She has surrounded herself with piles of documents, birth and death certificates, anything, even school diplomas. Whatever she can get.

Then there is Theo, working on the much shorter list of the six cases of living burial when no body was found. Without a body, he works only on suppositions and descriptions of what the police found: open graves, sometimes people confessing the crime… But, there is no body to see, to check. He has name, ages, dates, but, what if the six people he is trying to investigate about weren’t even really buried alive in the first place?

They spend two hours in a frustratingly fruitless research. Theo wonders if it would be more productive of they started to slam their heads against the wall. His gut tells him that the solution is right there, in front of him and in plain sight, but he just can’t see it.

Right when he is starting to feel his control slip away, his eyes fall on the boring-looking, white and red table calendar.

It’s on today’s date. But it makes Theo think, about dates, about days, about years.

1960\. Beacon Hills, in the Sixties. How many people lived here? How many didn’t?

“Most importantly…” he whispers, his voice soft but the two supernaturals in the room beside him startling as if he had shouted it.

He asks deputy Beth Johnson to bring them another list.

“Another one?” she echoes, baffled and annoyed at the same time: “Don’t you have enough?”

He wants to have a copy of the census, he needs to know how many people moved into town in 1960. Deputy Johnson snorts but delivers him the list he wants, in less then fifteen minutes. Do not say Beth Johnson doesn’t take her work seriously.

How many people called Mark had moved in?

Three.

‘Well, that’s better’ he thinks.

Better than six Marks who got buried alive but whose body was never found again.

“Fuck” Parrish swears in frustration “I can’t believe so many people have been buried alive in this town. Beacon Hills should be a giant cemetery, basically”

Tracy snorts, about to point out that, hello? She was one of those bodies, and it was Parrish himself who put her six feet under, outside from the cemetery’s borders.

She doesn’t say it, but it hangs unspoken in the way she smirks, the way Parrish blushes, eyes still on the desktop, and Theo can’t help making a joke.

“Holey ground, indeed”

Tracy rolls her eyes, getting the Harry Potter quote. Parrish doesn’t, but he snorts.

“That was terrible”

“Made you laugh, though” Theo grins.

Tracy sighs and drops some papers with a slightly nauseated look: “Guys, the pattern is too wide” she announces, with eyes that refuse to surrender but promise violent demise to whoever does not give her a tip.

“I can’t believe all these cases are still unsolved” Parrish mutters, shaking his head: “Even when people were saved, nobody managed to arrest whoever was behind it. How can that be”

“Do you think someone in the police covered them?” Tracy asks, no tact whatsoever.

Theo shakes his head: “No. if that was the case, the files would have been destroyed too, most likely. These weren’t even hidden… it’s like they have been left here, hoping someone in the future would find them”

Parrish nods.

“Maybe the families of the victims were involved. We are talking of the sixties, after all, and Beacon Hills isn’t exactly a big city. Back then, families murdering their members, I bet it made quite a scandal. Wouldn’t have been a surprise, them trying to keeping it all down” he reasons.

“Especially if they had tried to murder one of them, but didn’t succeed because the police found out it” Tracy points out.

Theo nods, humming: “Families were involved for sure”

He visually scans the lists, the one deputy Johnson brought, the one with people moving into town, the one with Marks whose bodies were not found.

“Like, what if the families of the people buried alive had been… persuaded to do that. Regardless of whether they had wanted to or not, they had been made to do it. Because someone told them it was the right, even the best thing to do, and they had a reason to believe this someone. I mean, these are too many episodes. This isn’t a killing spree. This is someone who had a plan, who thought they were doing something good. Who had a reason”

Five Marks on one. Six on the other.

“Someone like who?” Parrish asks, with a frown.

“Like a priest? A hunter in disguise? As a teacher, maybe?” Tracy suggests.

1962, Reverend John Doyle moves into town. Along with him, his wife and five children: Mary, Sarah, Abel, Joshua, Mark.

The only other preacher who move into town did so only in 1985. The number of the burials decreases after 1984. In the early Nineties, it diminished to close to zero.

“Guys, hear me out. Tracy, you have the list of buried people who died, right? Check if the number is higher before or after 1984”

She hums for a few seconds.

“Yes, it’s higher. There were less episodes after”

“Yes, but, not only” Parrish lightens up, checking his own list: “the episodes that happened after 1984 are also the ones with people being saved”

Theo bites the inside of his cheek, licks his lip. He feels dizzy, as if things are slowly falling to the right place.

Revered Doyle moves to Beacon Hills in 1962. He tells people that, for some reasons, sometimes burying people alive is a great idea. Whatever the reason is. People believe him, and they do. Something happens in 1984, a new priest arrives in 1985. He preaches different ideas, and the living burials diminish and stop.

What happened to Reverend Doyle in 1984?

“Do you have a Mark Doyle in your list?” Theo asks.

They don’t. The only one is in Theo’s list.

“Theo, are you getting…” Parrish starts to ask, but Tracy pokes him in the ribs with her elbow. Theo barely notices.

It makes sense. It makes sense. It makes sense.

‘This is the right Mark. It’s him. It’s the sorcerer’ Theo thinks, elation of knowing he is getting it, finally, getting it, pouring in. He loves this feeling.

“Parrish, can you tell me when someone died?” he asks.

Parrish raises an eyebrow: “Yes? I mean, isn't that what we have been doing all along?”

“Look up when a Reverend John Doyle died, please. He moved in Beacon Hills in 1962”

The deputy does. He browses for a few moments, then he hums.

“He was murdered in late 1983”

Theo’s brain spins and turns. Things click into places. In Theo’s list, Mark Doyle was buried alive in 1973, but his body was never found.

‘He disappeared. He came back ten years later and murdered his father. The burials stopped. Mark didn’t stay in town, because people thought he was dead’

It makes sense. The only problem is: is he jumping to conclusion? Is he ignoring something?

“How?” he almost whispers.

“How what?” Parrish echoes.

“How did this guy die. Who murdered him?” Tracy answers for Theo, impatiently.

“Oh. Uh… it's not in here. It was clearly a murder, but it... remained unsolved. And. Uhm”

The deputy stops, frowning in disgust at the computer. Tracy and Theo turns at him.

“What?” she asks, with the same impatient tone, and Theo almost echoes her.

“He was the real deal, this guy” Parrish answers, neutrally but with flashing eyes: “So, this happens in Montana, ok? In 1959, Reverend John Doyle arrived to town. He started hinting to people attending his church that they should burn children suffering from epileptic attacks. Burning them at the stake, to cure them from what he considered a, I quote, sign of evil”

“What the fuck” Tracy blurts out.

Theo can relate to that.

“Apparently, he also tried to persuade parents during confession to bury their children alive, if they didn’t feel they could burn their children. He, and I quote again, understood that it might be difficult for them, so he suggested burying them alive as an easier alternative” Parrish reads further, horror dripping from is voice: “this guy was crazy. I’m so glad he’s dead”

“But it’s him!” Tracy exclaims: “He isn’t dead, and it’s him!”

“No,” Theo corrects her: “it’s his son. The one he tried to bury alive but survived. I bet Mark Doyle is the one who murdered John Doyle, too”

“And Reverend Doyle was the one who told everyone in Beacon Hills what a splendid idea living burial was?” Tracy insists, and Theo nods.

“I’m sure”

“And this guy had a son called Mark?” Parrish asks, spinning in his chair.

“Yes” Theo answers, looking back at the pile of sheets on his table.

“And this Mark guy, he is in your list. Isn’t he Theo?” Tracy adds, drawling the vowels out and grinning.

Theo snorts: “Yes” he answers, then he snorts again and smirks back, all satisfied and proud and ok, even smug, so what. Sue him. It’s nice, solving mystery. Or, almost.

“Yes, he is in my list. Either Mark Doyle was a supernatural, or he showed whatever trait his father considered proof of a demonic possession, anyway”

“Or maybe he was simply epileptic?” Parrish replies.

Theo shakes his head: “He survived being buried alive and his body wasn’t found. Sure, someone else could have saved him, but, even in that case, this guy was special enough he could learn magic, years after”

“And he is our sorcerer” Tracy repeats.

“Yes. I think” Theo nods.

Parrish sighs, shakes his head. Theo frowns. Tries not to, but his face moves before he can stop it, before he can hide the sudden impulse to punch the deputy in his ungrateful face.

“I thought you’d be happier, knowing we found this guy”

The deputy shakes his head: “Oh, I am. I can’t wait to put this asshole behind bars. It’s just that… I feel sorry for him, ok? He’s grown up with a real bastard for a father”

Tracy snorts: “Look, there’s people who have grown up with worse and didn’t turn into murderous creatures. Of course I don't mean us two, but..."

Theo is startled into a little laugh, almost against his will, and throws a surprised glance her way. She grins back, showing teeth, and Parrish rolls his eyes a little, murmuring something along the line of teenage chimeras. Theo doesn’t really relate. Because he’s both.

“We need to find anything we can about this Mark Doyle” he says.

“I can take care of that, make some calls” Parrish decides, standing up.

“Do you need help for that, or can you do it by yourself? I want to go to Scott. The longer your colleagues stay out there the more they are exposed to supernatural risks they can’t and shouldn’t handle”

He himself is a little amazed and surprised at his own words, so he understands the expression on the deputy’s face. He understands a little less Tracy’s smug, knowing grin.

“Yeah, sure. I can do this, don’t worry” Parrish answers.

Theo moves in direction of the door, Tracy in tow, when the deputy speaks again.

“But.. why are we still checking crowded place? This guy is clearly using the shadows ritual”

Theo stops, turns, and tries really hard not to explain that the best way to fuck your enemy over is giving them all the info and some more that you are going some way, and then going the opposite one. He doesn’t find the words to really say it, but apparently his eyes tell enough.

It must be something along the line of, I know this for personal experience, because it’s exactly what I would do.

Parrish tightens his lips into a pale line, and Theo swallows, nodding.

“Yeah, that was a stupid question. Sorry” Parrish says.

Theo doesn’t answer, and he leaves.

Xxxxx

Night comes, and nothing has happened yet.  
Nothing has happened, and everyone feels pretty positive about that.

Theo and Liam walk silently through the cemetery, patrolling it. Liam cracked a joke about Buffy the vampire slayer, but Theo, never having seen the show, has just glared his way. In a totally unimpressed but still frustrating way. Very effective, too, as Liam has dropped the topic instantly.

It’s amazing how walking a cemetery at night doesn’t feel creepy for them. It probably means their lives are screwed up beyond reason or hope of salvation, but, whatever. Theo doesn’t mind. He is too busy trying not to obsessively focus on Liam’s scent, his heartbeat, the rhythm of his steps – and he realizes he has adapted his own waling to Liam’s, without even it being a conscious decision.

What the fuck brain, I understand loving the little shit, but, let’s not get his deadly case of swagger too. Please.

Theo swallows, frowning lightly at the dark wood right behind the cemetery, and misses completely Liam throwing glances at him.

Liam, who feels relaxed and nervous at the same time, and wonders how can he even do that. It happens more and more, recently, around Theo. Relaxed, because he can be whatever he wants around Theo, but also nervous, because, well, Theo. They haven’t spoken, haven’t been alone just the two of them, since the night before. When Liam has punched him and admitted liking him. Or more. Admitted being crazy jealous of Tracy.

Baring his heart to the chimera, who has lied to his face. Just like the good old times. The ones that Liam likes to think they have left behind, for good.

So Liam thought, ok, I go out with him, patrol the cemetery, play Buffy for a while, and if the Tracy topic comes up, worst case scenario I will punch him again. Right? Right. Except that afternoon Theo showed up with Tracy, but they have basically gone out of their way to clarify to the entire pack that they aren’t… dating. Fucking? Whatever, that, whatever they were doing before, they have stopped.

Liam blushes. Stalking towards Theo like he owned the place right beside him? Maybe not a good idea. But, at the time, it had felt the best thing ever. Like, standing up, walking slowly to him, eyes thunderous telegraphing, bitch, try and stop me.

And Theo hasn’t: he has watched Liam approach, sit beside him, look back at Tracy.

Tracy has even smirked a bit, all I-know-what-you-are-doing-and-I-am-cool.

Smug, Liam had felt smug.

Back then. Some hours before. Now? Now he feels a fucking idiot, one who has bared his soul and maybe is reading too much into this.

Tracy out of the picture is nice… but it doesn’t mean Theo wants Liam back.

Liam wants to scream. He’s made peace with himself and wanting Theo. Liking, even loving him (Jesus, loving him. Love. Capital L and stuff). But, that thing about emotions and feelings? The split between the two? Yeah, Liam still feels it. He still has to work on that.

And Theo walking beside him, all strut like he owns the damn town doesn’t really help. At least he doesn’t smell like sex anymore. Even better, he doesn’t smell like sex with Tracy, anymore. Still, Liam can’t help the nagging urge to just shove him against the closest hard surface, trap him with his body. Keep him caged there and kiss him stupid. Theo squirming to get free, the only result of rubbing against him. Getting drenched in Liam’s scent.

See? This is why Liam feels nervous. This territoriality? This is a new thing. And for heaven’s sake, he didn’t feel this territorial with Hayden. He knows he can be possessive, hell, he knows he can be pretty Neanderthal about what he feels it’s his, but, he is absolutely not used to this feeling being associated with a person. A guy. Theo. He’s the guy who would write his name on a lacrosse stick with permanent marker because this is my fucking stick, guys, but, he’s never wanted to brand a person. He was pretty invested in Hayden, and yet he would have never dreamt of… branding her.

And, anyway, with Tracy potentially out of the picture (he is pretty sure she is out of the picture), why isn’t this possessive streak of his dimmed down? Disappeared? Gone away? Why does he still tremendously want to push Theo against a wall and hear him beg?

‘Oh my god, brain, stop’

“Are you ever going to talk to me again or…?”

Liam almost jumps at Theo’s words. He blushes furiously, hoping with all his might that the chimera can’t smell the lust off of him. Or worse, read his thoughts.

But Theo just rolls his eyes, as if Liam being startled annoys him. It’s also a very Theo thing, and Liam feels very giddy to notice that.

“Uh, what do you mean? I talk to you” he protests, lamely.

“Yes, now” Theo argues, nonplussed.

Liam rolls his eyes, because it’s the only way he can hide trying to regain some control. He swallows a couple of time, struggling to find a topic they can discuss. Something that is not how good Theo smells right now, how much he likes to fight with him and can I tackle you to the floor pretty please?

Theo sighs and stops. He looks at Liam with a very serious expression, and it makes Liam blush. Again. Fuck.

“Liam” Theo calls his name, softly, the way he always does when he knows Liam needs anchoring. Does Liam need anchoring right now? He hasn’t noticed. But, Theo is a pretty good judge for that, so, Liam assumes he must be right.

He swallows, and goes for honesty. Something that doesn’t imply admitting how much he wants him shirtless again, possibly.

“I just, I am really happy you are not lying anymore” he says, voice just as soft as Theo. He looks straight into his eyes, those deep, deep green eyes, and it feels like Theo is baring his soul to him through them.

The chimera doesn’t smirk, he smiles. A tiny thing, but a smile nonetheless, and Liam finds himself mirroring it.

“Me too” Theo admits.

Then he turns and starts walking again.

“So, walking in a cemetery at night. Not creepy at all” he comments.

Liam, who has learned to recognize a topic being changed, snorts.

“Ok, first thing, when this is over, I am definitely making you watch Buffy. And second, aren’t you used to it? I thought you would be used to it. Didn’t you grow up raiding cemeteries?”

Theo, nonplussed, shrugs: “Naa, it was sewers mostly” he deadpans, then he turns, grinning, and swats Liam on the back of his head.

Liam ducks too late. Theo laughs, and Liam forgets he is even supposed to feel pain, technically.

Xxxxx

Sheriff Stilinski checks the time. It’s late enough that the boys patrolling the cemetery are done and have left. At least he hopes they have left: it was Theo and Liam, wasn’t it? And Parrish told him about that scene at the pack meeting, earlier in the afternoon.

‘Please, please god, please, don’t let me find them making out in a cemetery. I’m all for love, but I don’t think I can survive walking in on Theo and Liam. Also, they would probably tear down half the graves fighting. Considering violence seems to be the best foreplay for those two’

There is a knock on the door. He turns and, with a loud and clear voice, invites whoever it is to come in. He hopes fervently it’s not someone calling for indecent exposure in the cemetery.

Or for vandalism, in the cemetery, to be followed by the indecent exposure.

“Sir” deputy Johnson starts, with a face as pale as she had the night before.

‘Shit’ the sheriff thinks, sighing.

It’s not Theo and Liam.

“Please don’t tell me it’s another zombie” he begs her.

She grimaces: “Sorry sir. It is”

“Fuck”

‘They definitely don’t pay me enough for this’

Xxxxx

Liam wakes up.

Cue in: a long minute entirely spent wondering whether he should get up and why.

Then he sighs, reaching the suffered conclusion that, alas, yes, he is awake, and, at this point, he might as well get up. As his grandmother sometimes would say: life is all but for suffering.

She would also go on with the part about enduring the pain being the thing that makes you stronger but, that is irrelevant right now, especially because it would make Liam feel bad about not wanting to get up.

So, not getting there, grandma, sorry.

He snatches his phone up. Ugh, he is… barely on time not to be late. He starts his usual morning routine, forcing all thoughts about sorcerers, zombies, rituals and murderers out of his happy, freshly awakened mind.

He bends over the sink to spit toothpaste and traps some water in his hand, rinse his mouth from the white, minty foam, when he hears his phone buzz. Just once: it’s a message.

He swipes it open before even checking the sender, sure it’s Mason.

/Guess what/

Uh, why Mason would send him that? He frowns. The sender is Theo.

This is even weirder: why would Theo text him? Since when does he text Liam? Is this something he should expect from now on? And, riddles instead of bossy orders? Did someone dropped something unbelievably heavy right on the chimera’s head and therefore killed his brain activities? Has he been abducted by aliens?

Before he can come up with the mental image of tiny, green aliens trying to prod at any entrance of Theo’s body, he starts typing back.

/I just woke up. Have some mercy and cut the shit short. What’s happened?/

He puts the phone down and gets dressed, staying close and bent forward all the time, as if he couldn’t stay more than a few inches away. He slips the shirt on: his ringtone startles him and he almost falls on the floor before he’s managed to come out with his head from the neck of the t-shirt.

He swipes the green button, taking the call and putting it immediately on speaker.

“Theo?” he asks, looking at his own damned feet to make sure he won’t trip again.

“Hi, Little Wolf”

Ok, maybe it wasn’t that dumb, glaring at his feet a moment before. Because, hearing Theo’s voice this early in the morning kind of makes him weak in the knees, and he might fall again. Figuratively speaking only, he hopes, because, god, that would be terribly embarrassing.

Most importantly, he truly is fucked: not even with Hayden he had it this bad.

“Hey” he says, slipping his jeans on and feeling slightly self-conscious about buttoning his pants while on the phone with the chimera he wants to take them for.

“Are you at home?” Theo asks.

“Uh… yeah, where else would I be?” Liam argues, frowning.

“Well, maybe Mason had already picked you up” Theo replies, perfectly reasonable and all.

“Does this mean you’re not taking me to school?” he blurts out, before he can stop himself.

Cue in: Liam, his face so red, he would put a tomato to shame.

‘Oh my god oh my god oh my god what the ever loving fuck is happening to me’

“Uh, I mean…” he stammers, but he doesn’t know how to go on with that sentence and the silence that falls is actually even weirder and way worse.

Theo, thank god, the asshole that he is, just chuckles, amused at Liam’s discomfort.

“Sorry, Liam, can’t be your chauffeur today. Anyway, do you want to hear why I called you or…?”

“Yeah” Liam answers hurriedly.

“Mm. So, the sheriff called” Theo starts.

Every nerve in Liam’s entire system tenses, so much that he can feel many muscles in his back start to cramp. He can ignore the smooth, velvety sound of Theo’s voice, if he has to listen to potential news involving bloody murder and zombies.

“Please tell me we didn’t miss a zombie” he begs.

Theo hums: “Well, that makes answering you a bit difficult. I mean, there are also good news”

“Like what?”

“Like, the zombie from yesterday? The one that was in the cell?”

“What about it?”

‘Please tell me it hasn’t run off and bitten so many people he could reach and started his army of undead brainless monsters.

“Well, it’s now a nice pile of dust. Looks like the sorcerer can now resuscitate people, but they come with an expiration date. Of about twenty-four hours, is the educated guess”

Liam stops and considers the information.

“That… that is actually good news”

“It is” Theo agrees: “Unfortunately, that comes with the inevitable bad news to balance it”

Liam groans.

“Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction, too” Theo comments. Liam can almost see him smirking on the other side of the call.

“And?”

“We missed a zombie. The sorcerer has resurrected another one, last night” Theo answers, bright voice going from chirpy to serious.

“Shit” Liam swears.

“I agree, Little Wolf” Theo says, in a serious, but softer tone.

Liam swears again. Theo doesn’t add anything else, which is all Liam needs to know that there’s more to come.

“You have worse news to give me, don’t you?”

Theo hums in agreement.

Liam mouths another curse and sighs.

“How bad?”

“Very” Theo answers honestly.

“Fuck. Come on, tell me”

“This time, the sorcerer didn’t just resuscitate a zombie. He resuscitated it, and gave it orders. He sicced it against its family. It went home, attacked them. Managed to beat them up pretty bad before the police came and stopped it”

“Fuck” Liam repeats, this time louder and with much more, and worse feeling.

Theo hums in agreement.

“The good thing is, Deaton has confirmed that zombiness isn’t something that spreads with zombies biting you. Looks like it’s not contagious. Which is… good”

“Hard to believe there is something good” Liam grumbles.

“You better stop with the pessimistic attitude, Liam, because there actually is. And there is obviously something worse, too, because, it’s fucking Beacon Hills, right” Theo scolds him.

Liam can hear the frustration in his voice.

“Sorry. What do you mean?”

It’s Theo the one sighing now.

“This… guy sent his family to the hospital. Two kids with broken bones and a hell of a trauma. The mother has got it worse”

“How much?” Liam asks.

Theo sighs again: “I talked to Melissa. She says it’s difficult to establish, but, basically, she is in a coma now. She must have hit her head hard, they are working to see how much of the blood swelling they can reduce, but… They don’t know if she will make it”

Liam closes his eyes.

This woman will probably die. Two kids are injured and will be orphans. All because he and Theo didn’t…

“Liam” Theo starts, sounding tired: “if I am right, you should be entering the stage of a 'this is all my fault' kind of rage, in, three, two, one, now. If you are doing it, and I bet you are. I am not going to lie to you. Because I am not Scott, and I am not your good alpha. So yes, it was. It was our fault”

Just like that, Liam’s anger vanishes. He feels worse than if Theo had sucker punched him, right in the stomach.

“… Yeah?” he asks, voice soft and tentative.

“Well, yes” Theo admits. Liam can hear the anger in the chimera’s voice. He knows he is blaming himself, them, just like Liam is doing: “it will be our secret. When Scott and the others will tell us that it’s not our fault, at least we know that we, me and you, we know it was. But, the good thing, the only fucking good thing, is: we know that next time, to prevent this to happen again, we have to spend the entire fucking night in the cemetery”

“Do you think the sorcerer was there? That he saw us leaving?” Liam asks, feeling cold and empty after the anger disappeared.

Theo sighs.

“To be honest? I think he was there the whole time. I bet he’s had loads of fun watching us”

“Shit” Liam comments, because, what else should he say?

To be honest, he feels the moral need to lie to Theo, tell him it wasn’t their fault. But, you can’t really make Theo change his mind, once he’s rationally taken a decision. And he has decided he considers them both guilty.

Weirdly enough, it grounds Liam from having an episode of anger explosion.

“We need to work on the way to break his barrier” he says, instead.

“Lydia is working on it” Theo replies.

Liam nods.

A short silence falls, then Theo sighs again.

“Look, I gotta go. The sheriff wants my help with the new zombie, and I am afraid he’ll want me to help getting any info out of the kids, too”

Liam grimaces: “Shit, I don’t envy you. How old are they?”

“The oldest is eight” Theo answers.

“Fuck”, is all that Liam can say.

Xxxxx

Mason beeps his car when he arrives, a few minutes later. Liam picks his backpack and rushes out the front door.

He walks briskly to the Toyota and sees Mason smiling at him, offering a tired wave.

Just like that, Liam realizes, Mason is here. As in, my best friend I tell everything. He is here. Alone. No Corey on sight.

He should probably make good use of this rare, if not even unique occasion, Liam thinks. Even if he is in the worst possible mood ever for a confession, right now.

He gets in the car and falls in the seat with a sigh.

Mason arches an eyebrow, starting to drive.

“I was about to ask how last night went, but your face makes me change my mind. Nobody heard from Scott, I thought it was because nothing has happened…?”

Liam snorts.

“Fucking Beacon Hills. When are we so lucky?”

Mason grimaces.

“Ok. So, what happened?”

Liam sighs.

“Well, nothing, until me and Theo were there. But now, ten minutes ago, Theo called and told me that another zombie has been resuscitated, after we left, and now we have two injured kid and a woman in a coma, because we didn’t stay”

Yep, he feels very responsible about that.

Mason breathes slowly from his mouth.

“Shit” he mutters.

“Yeah, shit’s right” Liam echoes him.

“It’s not your fault” Mason automatically says: “or Theo’s”

Before he goes on, Liam interrupts him: “Mason, we have already established that it actually is. So don’t. just don’t”

Mason frowns: “We, as in who? You and Theo?”

Liam nods.

Mason struggles, but manages not to say whatever it is that he feels like saying but knows it’s better if he doesn’t say. Whatever, Liam doesn’t really care. On that front, he agrees with Theo: this was their fault. And even if it wasn’t, he still feels like it was.

He briefly retells Mason about the call with Theo. Mason grimaces worse and worse. At the end of the story, he swears and sighs again.

“At least this isn’t contagious” he mutters, from where he has sunk in his seat.

Liam snorts. He agrees, but, it doesn’t really balance the bad things.

“And this guy is getting better. He can give orders now” Mason mutters, looking frontwards, lost in thoughts.

Liam doesn’t interrupt him. After a few seconds, Mason shrugs and tries a smile.

“Hey, at least the kids are banged up but alive”

Liam tries to smile, but it comes out like a grimace.

“Yeah, I know” Mason echoes, his own smile dying out.

They are almost at the school, Liam realizes.

He swallows. This really isn’t the best moment.

“Where is Corey?” he asks.

“Already at the school. Why?”

Liam shrugs, evasive. It doesn’t come off really cool like he hoped.

“You guys are pretty much together all the time, so…”

Mason beams at that: “Yeah” he says: “he wanted to get there earlier for a test today. Does it bother you? I’ve never asked. Should I have? That we are so often together?”

Liam snorts: “Don’t worry, Mase, I don’t feel left out”

“No, I mean, I would understand, man”

Liam snorts again and looks at his hands. He bites at his lower lip. When he realizes it, he stops, imagining Theo telling him off.

“Mase, I need to talk to you”

Mason, who is driving slower and slower, the closer they get to the school, throws him a worried glance.

“Should I be worried? Should I park before you go on?”

Liam hesitates, then nods.

Mason, despite being really close to the school parking lot, pulls over and turns to him, full attention on Liam. Who swallows and takes a deep breath.

“Uh, I don’t really know how to say it” he admits.

“I’m here, Liam” Mason says, encouraging.

Liam smiles, a thin, awkward thing.

“Remember when I told you that I liked working with Theo? As partners? In a team?”

Mason nods. Maybe it’s the light but Liam starts to suspect that that thing creeping up on his best friend’s face is awareness, as if he already knew where this is going. Liam hopes not. Mason doesn’t really look like he like what he thinks he’s about to hear.

“I remember” Mason confirms.

Liam nods: “Well…” he tries, and doesn’t know how to go on. The silence drags for a few seconds, until Mason decides that yes, he knows what Liam is trying to say, and comes to the rescue.

“Look, do you need me to ask you questions? Does that make it easier?”

“Yes. Yes please”

“Ok. Are you alright?”

“Uhm, yes. Kind of”

“Yes, or kind of?”

“I’m in love with Theo” Liam blurts out.

Silence.

Mason closes his eyes and smirks, with a terribly knowing expression. He turns away and sighs. He opens his eyes again, stares in the distance, tries to relax in the front seat.

“I knew this moment was coming” he says, as if he was telling himself more than actually informing Liam.

“I knew it, Corey knew it, we’ve discussed about this. I… I shouldn’t be surprised. I am not, in fact”

He gets slightly up from the seat and addresses Liam again: “Don’t take this the wrong way. I am just… I hoped I was wrong”

Liam is… speechless.

“How… how am I supposed not to take this bad?”

Mason snorts.

“Ok, ok, no, that was even worse. Sorry. I mean, I hoped that this wouldn’t happen so fast. You two… things have changed a lot, very fast, for you two. I mean, two weeks ago you weren’t even sure you liked the guy enough not to punch him dead. Then you tell me you might like the guy, as in, potentially being friendly to him. And that’s okay, I mean, fine, everyone could see that you two work well together”

Liam follows, feeling uneasy.

“Then Tracy comes back, and Theo starts to spin into this terribly emo, self-destructive gig of… whatever it was. It lasts only a couple of days, barely, and now, as soon as he ends it, you tell me you love him. Now, Liam. I love you, you are my best friend. If you tell me you love Theo, I will support this, even if he has done horrible things to me, you, and all the people we love. But, you have to tell me. Are you sure?”

Mason’s dark eyes bore into Liam’s. Liam swallows.

“I… I do. I am. I…”

He wants to break the window of the car. His hands start to tremble, but he fists them closed and ignored the blood trickling out, dripping down his arms.

“I have never felt this way for Hayden. I don’t know why. But. It’s like… it’s like my brain keeps telling me that he is mine. That nobody can go close to him. And I…”

He clenches his jaw shut, closes his eyes, breathes.

The sun, the moon. The truth.

Theo.

The good scent he has after he shifts back into his human form. The soft fur of the black wolf. The green eyes of the boy, when he cries, laughs, thinks.

Liam opens his eyes. He can almost see Theo, again, half naked, hipbones peeking from his low jeans, the other night.

“I have never felt this crazy urge to mark something as mine before”

Silence.

When he dares a glance at Mason, he snorts and smirks.

“Man, you wrote your name on literally everything you owned when we were in primary school”

Liam blushes at the memory, but doesn’t sway.

“I’ve never felt like branding Hayden like a thing, though”

Mason’s jaw clenches and unclenches. Thinking. Not liking it but not judging.

“Do you think it could be an anchor thing?” he asks.

Liam shakes his head.

“Hayden used to be my anchor too, and she’s never had this effect on me. Mase, I… I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but, I’m starting to get a bit territorial about him”

Mason nods, sighing.

“I see”

He doesn’t add anything, and Liam suddenly feels terribly self-conscious.

“I mean, what the hell. I usually am not like this. Yes, I am possessive, I was fucking jealous when Corey started to hang around you this much, but, no, I no longer have a problem with it. But… this is different, ok? Sometimes I feel like I am jealous of Scott, because Theo speaks to him instead of paying attention to me for too long”

Mason frowns: “Ok, that… that’s not healthy”

“I know” Liam nods.

Mason nods as well: “Maybe this,… possessive streak of yours has been worsened by Tracy’s… how to say, proximity to the object of your desires. Maybe, now that you know that he’s not sleeping with her anymore you won’t feel like that”

“Uh… yeah, about that. Not really. I mean… last night all I wanted was to push him under me and kiss him. I want him to smell like me” he blushes a bit at that last part.

Mason arches an eyebrow: “Wow. You weren’t joking about the marking part”

Liam shakes his head, glad his friend finally gets the picture of just how frustrated he feels.

Mason screws his face and bites at the inside of his lip.

“Look, you know when you are in love. Beside this… weird, territorial pull that he gives you. Do you love him?”

Liam sighs.

“Yes”

“Ok” Mason says, accepting it. Just like that.

“Now, I guess it would be good if you tried not to… give in to these urges. Let’s try to see what they are, first. You say you never had them with Hayden, it could mean anything. It could be a werewolf thing. Maybe you should ask Derek, or the Hales”

Liam looks at Mason with panic in his eyes at the idea. Mason hold his gaze, rethinks it, and pulls his lips in a very funny way.

“No, you know what? Don’t ask the Hales. Let’s just see how things go”

“Yes, better” Liam agrees, nodding vigorously.

“I mean, maybe we are just finding out that guys gets you hotter than girls” Mason suggests, shrugging.

Liam grimaces: “Yeah, no. Like, it’s just Theo, believe me”

“Well, but Theo is a pretty hot guy” Mason replies.

“Won’t argue with that” Liam nods, honest.

Mason laughs.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you. Why did you have to come out when we are chasing a murderous, zombie-making sorcerer! Couldn’t you just wait?”

Liam pulls his lips in a slightly embarrassed smarmy smile.

“Sorry, next time I will time it better”

“No, please, if you have to fall for an ex-assassin, please do it just this once time. I’m not going to listen to your ‘oh my god he is evil but I want him to be my friend’ tirade again”

Liam blushes more.

“Uh, about that…”

Mason arches an eyebrow: “Yes?”

“Are you mad?”

“At him? For almost killing me, you, Corey, and definitely killing Scott? Yes, of course. But, the guy is different. He has changed. And, it’s not my place to judge, but, I am a bit ashamed to admit that I feel like whatever crazy thing happened between him and Tracy? That pain that I know he has experienced? Plus hell? I mean, I guess I can say I’m satisfied with how much he’s paid up to now. I don’t wish him any more suffering. Of course, he still is a pain in the ass, but, he also has a very good ass, and it looks like he wants to be a pain in your ass…”

“Mason!” Liam shrieks, blushing madly and covering his face with his hands.

Mason laughs.

“No, you are right. I am sure he wants you to be a pain in his ass!”

This time, Liam doesn’t shriek at all. His hands fall down and he looks at Mason with huge eyes, dilated pupils, and an almost famished expression.

“… Ya think?”

“Oh my god, Liam!”

Xxxxx

Pack meeting. Again. A lot of talking, again. 

Nothing much has happened since last time they’ve gathered in the McCall sitting room, so, this one goes quicker than others.

The main thing worth of notice is, Lydia is on skype again. She's found a way to break the barrier, she tells them.

“Marigold powder can break any kind of magic barrier, even if you don’t know the spell feeding them. It’s the remedy that only works, but we have to be lucky with the dose. That’s the only thing that changes from time to time” she explains. Beside her, her witch friend and roommate Sally confirms.

“And you need to be really close to a barrier that you don’t see, to blow the powder right onto it” Tracy says, more as a guess.

The witch nods: “Yeah, that’s another downside”

“Great” Theo comments, sarcastic.

“Guys, this is great news! We can do this!” Scott encourages them.

“Yes, we can either blow magic dust on something we don’t see, or be blown up entirely" Theo insists: “now, I don't know about you but, personally, I’d rather be blown. And have a plan that doesn’t suck” 

Liam snorts out an aborted chuckle.

Malia glares at them, even though he is sure she agrees.

“Seriously” Scott insist: “this is risky, yes, but we can do this. We just have to be prepared. All of us will have some marigold powder. Once we manage to spot this guy, we can throw all the fucking fairy dust on him”

“Fairy dust!” Stiles cheers, from skype: “I miss the good old times when we did the same wit wolfsbane”

“We would literally kill each other, you know?” Tracy points out.

Stiles snorts: “Well, I wouldn’t be sorry if you died”

“Stiles” Scott says.

Stiles drops it.

“Seriously? This is your plan? Try to spot the sorcerer and throw the fairy dust at him?” Theo asks in disbelief.

“It’s not fairy dust, it’s marigold powder” Lydia repeats, slightly annoyed.

“It’s a terrible plan!” Theo insists.

“Yes, which is why we should do it!” Stiles argues.

“We have worked with worse” Scott tries to sound more reasonable, looking especially at Theo.

Tracy shakes her head and looks at Theo: “Are you going with this? What about working out all the variables?”

Theo sighs, holding eyes with Scott for a solid, silent minute. Then he shakes his head.

“Too many variables. Can’t predict all of them. Might as well do this. Any plan we do will be a suicide plan”

“Oh, come on, don’t be so negative" Stiles protests: “Just because you haven’t come up with this plan it doesn’t mean it sucks that bad”

It sucks that bad.

Actually, it turns out it sucks even more than Theo has feared.

The only good part is that they find out they can spot the sorcerer, if they can distract him enough that his focus will slip enough to make the barrier at least shimmer.

They throw almost all the marigold powder they have at it, but the guy literally vanishes out of their eyes and reappears behind them. Scott and Malia turns, ready to redirect the trajectory of their fairy dust launching, but their jars are empty.

The barrier cracks open in some points, as if they have managed at least to scratch it, and a terrible smell of magic comes out.

Malia ducks in time to avoid a sort of magic lighting that incinerates the grass where she was a moment prior. After that, it’s duck the lighting and try to dump your marigold on the barrier time.

Liam, the only one whose jar is still more than half full, dives out and under a flashing beam of burning magic, raises his arm, realizes he’s cornered himself and dumps the marigold jar on the barrier anyway.

The lighting never gets him though: Theo shoves right away from the trajectory at the very last moment, so much that the back of his shirt tears where the burning heat of the spell brushes close.

Theo grabs Liam and tries to get them away, but the sorcerer now aims directly at them, and it’s difficult to retreat when you can’t even get up from the grass and you’re rolling away from yet another lighting.

Theo doesn’t look where he’s rolling, and he finds himself trapped, Liam right under him. He ducks, holding Liam tight and hoping if he gets hit the magic won’t transmit to Liam, too.

But the pain he braces for never comes.

He hears Tracy screaming.

He looks up, as she collapses in front of him.

“Tracy!” he screams, and he and Liam scramble up to get to her.

The sorcerer vanishes, and, this time, he gets away, vanishing right under the pack’s nose.

The zombies run in disarray towards the city, taking different directions. The pack splits to stop them, but they can’t get all of them before they reach their targets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bamm! Cliff hanger. You're welcome. Sorry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But, will you?

It’s not easy, having to deal with IED. Not if the person who has it is your spouse, your friend, your best friend, your child.

Liam knows, and is very grateful, whenever his parents, best friend, pack, put up with him and his episodes. But even their most sincere support, tolerance and sympathy, even that can’t make up for the fact that it sucks, royally, being the person with IED.

The worst, the thing Liam still hasn’t learned to deal with, is the splitting he experiences, every single fucking time: part of him goes miles away, and from that safe distance watches, sees the rest of himself getting worked up, anger building, building, until it crashes down and he inevitably punches someone or breaks something.

All this, all the mess, and in the meantime, that safe, distant part of his awareness knows fully well what is going on. Which means that, even at his worst, even when he really feels like he’s losing his mind, he is always in control, at least partly, and always aware of what is happening.

Always aware that he is the one doing it.

And it sucks.

Of course, there is, actually, just one thing, that is worse even than this.

And it’s when he fucks up, tear things apart, hurts people… without IED interfering at all. Because you don’t need mental illness to fuck up, right?

Right.

Xxxxx

Theo sits by the bed, hunched forward, head in his hands, elbows on his thighs.

He hasn’t moved for at least the last half hour.

Half a hour that Liam has spent checking on him almost every other minute, and yet he still hasn’t grown accustomed to see Theo, in that position, the very embodiment of hospital waiting as by definition on a dictionary. At the page, long, sorrowful wait while a dear person lies unconsciously in a hospital bed, surely you will see a picture of Theo, hunched over this way.

And it’s, heart breaking. Maddening. Infuriating. All of that, and most of all, it’s Liam’s fault.

The bed Theo sits beside is occupied by Tracy. She has been drugged so that she can sleep and recover faster – or at all, from the magic laced lighting the sorcerer has stricken her with. The one that she has fully caught to shield Theo, who was shielding Liam.

Liam stops, leans back on the wall, closes his eyes. Had he not been reckless, had he not been so stupid, had he not exposed himself – Theo wouldn’t have tried to save him. Tracy wouldn’t have had the brilliant idea of sacrificing herself for Theo. It’s a chain of shielding the biggest idiot, and Liam is the biggest one, the one that started it all.

Theo reeks of guilt. Guilt, self-hate, pain. Liam feels guilty and wants nothing else but to walk straight to Theo, shake him and tell him, it’s my damned fault, not yours. But, but, two things stop him. The first is: Theo would tell him that yes, yes, it’s Liam’s fault.

With all the cruel sincerity in his bright green eyes, Theo would look up from that chair and tell him that yes, congrats Liam, you are right, it is your fault. Partly. Then he would punch him square in the face, too, because it’s technically partly Theo’s fault, too, and, you don’t tell Theo it’s not his fault when he is one hundred percent sure otherwise.

So Liam leaves him alone, partly out of fear, not having the gut to face Theo blaming him, and partly because he knows Theo, and he wants to respect his pain, right now. Theo reeks of exhaustion, he should sleep and eat, but Liam knows better than bothering him with his own health.

Liam swallows. Tracy’s healing isn’t as fast as any other chimera’s would be, and who knows what the reason was. A Chimera’s healing is an engineered product, not the result of a bite, a transformation, or genetic, and it makes sense that it isn’t up to speed with the one of other creatures, like werewolves. Liam himself would heal faster than Tracy.

The thing is, even Theo or Corey would heal faster than she is doing, because, for some mysterious reason, Tracy’s healing didn’t kick in at all. They sedated her in the hope that it might speed up the process, but it took ages even to get it started in the first place.

Now she is getting better, but at an agonizing slow pace. They don’t know if it’s because she is a chimera, because of the resurrection, or because of the power of the magic and the lightning that hit her.

As soon as they have arrived at the hospital, hours prior, Melissa McCall has taken one look at Tracy and called Liam’s dad. Liam is happy, doesn’t even care that now his stepfather, his dad knows about the supernatural – about him. As long as he could help Tracy, he didn’t care.

Dr. Geier had initially struggled, bordered on panic for a few seconds, but then he had stepped right back into his usual medical role, all competence and good ideas even if he felt like he completely lacked any knowledge whatsoever – well, it turned out that supernaturals, or at least chimeras, weren’t that different from humans. He had expressed concerns at giving Tracy that high a dosage of anesthetics, but, once Melissa promised it was the ones they had used with Corey, he had just rolled with it.

Now Tracy sleeps, slowly healing, and Theo waits, by her side, listening closely to any sound coming from her sleeping body. Liam doesn’t even dare feeling jealous for that undivided attention – he is too busy hating himself, feeling guilty.

Scott has been here. The pack has tried to chase down the freshly awakened zombies, but some have reached their targets before they could be stopped. Cue in: more citizens of Beacon Hills shipped to the hospital with broken bones or other injuries, and loads of trauma.

Scott has tried taking Tracy’s pain, to see if it sped the healing up. It didn’t, for whatever the reason. However, when Theo tried, it did. For a while. Then, even that stopped working, which is why Theo’s hand is currently supporting his head instead of clutching Tracy’s arm.

Scott told Theo it wasn’t their fault. Theo’s reaction has been to look up at Scott, from his chair, with so much disgust, anger and downright fury in his eyes, that Scott has understood it was better not to repeat it. Liam, lingering outside the room like a ghost, has felt really close to tears.

He’s sorry. For Tracy and for Theo. Even for Scott, whose only fault has been of being a good hearted soul, trying to console Theo the good, true alpha way, by telling him he wasn’t to blame. But you don’t lie to Theo, you don’t tell Theo anything that he could remotely interpret as a lie.

Liam knew. Scott has probably just learned from experience, too.

He loses track of how much time they spend like this: Theo, in that chair, and him, outside, pacing the corridor, sometime peeking in with his head to check on the occupants of the room.

Ms. McCall has checked on Tracy at least twice, and so has Liam’s stepdad, once. Tracy’s vitals have improved, though not much. When they told him, Theo hasn’t uttered a word. He’s just looked at them, cold and distant, nodded politely, and has gone back to his hunched position.

Liam’s dad has called Deaton for a quick consult, and together they estimated that Tracy might wake before night. At least that has drawn a slightly better reaction from Theo: a single word, good, spoken with the raspy, croaky voice of someone who hasn’t spoken for a while.

So yes, Liam’s gut churns with guilt. It’s not pleasant. At least for once he can say his IED hasn’t had a lick of part in it, right? He’s fucked up entirely on his own, as he could have before anger became his unwanted soul whisperer. He should be happy, right? Feel like a real, normal boy, Liam?  
‘Yeah, abso-fucking-lutely not’ he thinks, and he doesn’t slam the back of his head against the wall he’s resting on only because Theo would hear that, even in the almost catatonic state he is, senses all sharpened to catch anything from Tracy.

And Theo would be mad. He would probably lose it, blame Liam like he should have done hours before, blame him and punch him and insult him, hurt him the way he should and Liam doesn’t understand why he hasn’t, yet.

It’s funny, if he thinks about it: before, when Theo was bad, he had to think about stuff that would hurt Liam, would have to come up with something – then again, it is so easy to rile Liam up, he bets Theo didn’t really need much thinking. But, that is not the point. The point is: a simple word now would hurt Liam much more than the thousand poisonous comments Theo has uttered Liam’s way when he was bad.

A simple, yes, to Liam’s question, are you mad at me.

Liam breathes through his nose.

Now, he is pretty sure than he is being a self-centered, egocentric little bitch. He should focus on helping Tracy, possibly taking care of Theo without hovering on him too much, instead of spiraling down this precipice of self-hate and guilty trip into sadness land. He should acknowledge fucking up and then focus on finding a solution.

But he’s stuck. He is stuck, on this wall, in the corridor, outside Tracy’s room, the doorstep an impassable border for him, one that, whether for fear or guilt or respect, he can’t cross.

His eyes fall on the clock hanging on the hall wall. Eleven in the morning. Barely. He sighs, frustrated: it’s not even eleven in the freaking morning, Tracy is supposed to recover and wake up much later on, and they have been here since last night late. He’s never going to survive waiting without punching holes into a couple of walls like they were gruyere.

A tiny sound, Liam’s ear perking up, the puff of air been released in a sigh.

Liam’s stomach churns more. He didn’t know it was possible.

“Liam” Theo’s soft voice comes through the open door of the room.

Liam’s heart hammers in his chest. He doesn’t even dare to think. He bites his lip instinctively.

“Come here, Little Wolf”

The chimera calls him with a whisper. Liam wonders if the soft voice is for Tracy, or because he himself can’t bear the idea of talking, right now. It is also the calm, soft voice Theo usually uses to bland him, to call him back to reality from wherever Liam has drifted, lost in rage.

He isn’t angry now. But he isn’t exactly calm either.

He feels terribly ashamed that Theo, with all that is going on already, also has to take care of him, instead of him being for once the one to take care of Theo.

Liam pushes away from the wall and almost runs to the door, stopping at the entrance, as if his feet were suddenly stuck right behind the threshold. He swallows and bites his lip, hands clenching and unclenching the hem of his shirt.

Theo doesn’t lift his head, but Liam hears the telltale sound the chimera makes when he smirks.

“Stop biting at your lip” he orders, his voice soft, again, his head bent forward, his hands hanging limp between his knees.

Liam releases his lip immediately, swipes his tongue over it to lick the blood away. There is none. Theo just knew, even without anything to smell.

Liam fidgets, rooted on his spot.

Theo sighs, and relaxes back in the chair, back hitting the plastic and head finally up. Looking at the chimera’s face is terrible, Liam feels like someone just slapped him – someone strong. Theo looks tired, exhausted really, worried, thorn with guilt. Where has Liam been, instead of helping him?

He slips into the room for the first time after hours, plastering himself against the wall opposite Theo and the bed. Tracy sleeps, undisturbed, the way she is supposed to. Liam can smell her healing work, progressively eating up the damaged cells, can hear the kanima drugs dissolve the magic, the drugs keeping her asleep all the while.

She looks exactly like she did last time he’s peeked in, and, of course she does, that was only twenty minutes before.

He wants to say something, anything, longs to speak, say the right thing that will take at least some of the pain and fatigue away from Theo’s face, but he doesn’t know what. He is afraid if he talks he’ll have another episode of his occasional, terribly well-timed tendency to word-vomit. He doesn’t want to make Theo mad, and he doesn’t want to bother him more. But he wants to, at least, apologize, he wants to say that he is sorry, for Tracy, for the way she ended up hurt because of him, for the way Theo feels right now, for the fact that even Theo himself got hurt, if not to extents like Tracy, even if he has healed by now.

‘Do not say you are sorry you almost got her killed’ he suggests to his own brain.

Theo lowers his eyes to the floor and sighs. He sounds even more exhausted that he did until now.

Before he can say anything, Liam anticipates him, whisper soft.

“I’m sorry” he blurts out, looking straight into Theo’s tired eyes.

Theo raises his head again, fixes Liam with a neutral, cold stare. One of those looks that he still hasn’t grown out of, even now that he works with the pack, and it’s probably the one thing about Thao that gives Liam the chills and makes him so mad, the fact that, even now, the chimera hides inside himself, sometimes.

Although, right now, he has every right to do so, doesn’t he.

Liam swallows and repeats it, slightly louder. He tries to go for a steadier tone, but his voice comes actually croaky, broken in the middle. It sounds like he’s sobbing. Oh my god, of course it does, there’s wetness on his cheeks – for fuck’s sake, he is crying.

“I… I’m sorry” he says again.

Theo still looks at him with that neutral stare, but the cold in it is disappearing. Slowly, fading away, as if Theo wanted to stay mad (mad at Liam?), but, after all, has just found himself unable to.

“Next time we follow a plan we already know it’s risky as hell, try not to do the only riskier thing possible” he comments, with a voice neutral and calm, only a little sarcastic. As if Theo really means it, after all.

Liam breathes through the tears, holds a sob down.

“I’m… I’m sorry” he repeats.

Theo shakes his head. He clicks his tongue, looking down, somewhere at the linoleum floor. Liam is partly glad he’s not looking straight into his eyes, and partly wished he was.

“You’re always so careless, Little Wolf” Theo murmurs. It’s the diminutive the strikes Liam the most, makes him almost stumble on his feet. It hurts more than if Theo was yelling, because, Theo calling Little Wolf means that Theo was also really scared for him, too. It means that Theo has been beating himself up not just for what happened to Tracy, but also because he has been scared for Liam.

He probably thinks he should have protected him better.

It trigger Liam, switching him on like a lighter.

Why the fuck am I crying, he thinks. Angrier and angrier, with himself but also with Theo. Why isn’t Theo getting up from that fucking chair of sorrow, why doesn’t he punch Liam straight in the face? Why does he have to go on with that martyr expression? Why the fuck does Liam never listen, why does he always have to try anyway, what good has it done, that he did?

Theo sighs again, shakes his head, looks up fondly.

“Oh, Liam…” he says, and the vaguest shadow of a smile creeps up his face. Liam is full-on crying right now, but he hasn’t noticed. Theo, well, it would be a bit difficult for him not to, even if he was that slow on the intake.

“Come here” Theo whispers, silk soft, opening his arms.

Have you ever played with a slingshot? Liam has. When he was a kid. Almost lost an eye when the elastic band snapped backwards and hit him on the cheek, drawing an unflattering red, angry line of pain.

Now, slingshots, when you pull the elastic bands, and when suddenly you release it, they snap forwards incredibly fast. If the elastic is tight enough, if the equality of the elastic band is good.

Liam snaps forward, catapulting himself in Theo’s open arms, as if he was an elastic band of the best quality ever produced in this galaxy.

It’s a new thing, hugging Theo. Despite his age, Liam has yet to outgrow his fondness for hugs. It doesn’t help that, what with being the youngest of the pack, he often gets away with an insane dose of babying, or at least to an extent that anyone else, non-supernatural especially, might consider embarrassing, at sixteen years old.

Not Liam.

If Scott opens his arms and offers a hug, like hell Liam is going to refuse that. Same goes for Mason, Corey (although they’ve had to work up to that), Ms McCall, Malia, even Laura Hale, that one time. But Theo? Theo has never done it, has never offered Liam this opportunity. To be honest, Theo usually doesn’t have to, what with them sharing that weird connection that anchors have with their anchor-ee, and Theo being good with words – hugs have never been necessary, up to now.

But, when Theo opens his arms, and tells Liam to come forward and do it, shit, for a second Liam even forgets why he’s being offered it, and just goes for it, so sure this will be the only chance to be this close to Theo. Without Theo being in the deepest pain ever, like that time at the graves.

He closes his eyes. He rests the side of his head on Theo’s shoulder, his nose pressed between Theo’s neck and collarbone. He breathes Theo in, his hands instinctively grabbing what they are already holding even tighter. Luckily, that means he just risks tearing the back of Theo’s hoodie to shreds, instead of his flesh.

He breathes, and he gets his lungs filled of Theo, breathes him in until his own brain can’t perceive anything else. Until he almost loses consciousness and the grasp on reality, until he almost forgets about the way Theo holds him, safe against his chest, arms tight around Liam’s middle, the fingers of one hand combing through his hair.

‘Jesus, Liam thinks. If I die, that’s ok. I mean, I understand Tracy dying in his arms. If he attacked me now, I wouldn’t notice either’ he thinks.

He immediately feels guiltier than guilt for that thought. He chalks it up to sarcasm and ignores it. He trusts Theo with two hundred percent of his heart, head and soul. The joke was just a sad joke, brain, you could have come up with something better. It reminds Liam of Tracy, who lies in the bed behind her, drugged into sleep. Recovering.

“I’m really, really sorry” he simply says, murmuring the words against Theo’s skin. He feels Theo shiver, and his nose picks up the sweet, sweet scent of Theo’s lust, but it’s immediately shoved down and, well, Liam sort of understands. He even feels bad for bringing that reaction out of the composed chimera.

‘But still’ his very territorial, very bad-timed brain tells him: ‘I just made him shiver’

He pushes the tears back, tells himself to stop crying. He makes to move backwards, Theo’s arms opening with no resistance. Liam straightens up, looks into Theo’s eyes, realizes he’s right in his lap.

Realizes he’s sitting astride Theo’s lap.

He blushes furiously, still holding Theo’s eyes. Theo blushes a bit as well, and even has the gut to smirk a bit, but he doesn’t comment, and lets Liam up.

“My dad she’ll wake up soon” he says, desperate to change the topic. He clears his throat. He even adjusts his jeans. Theo’s unimpressed, raised eyebrow tells him he’s definitely not as subtle as he thinks he is. But, the chimera doesn’t speak about Liam’s lack of subtlety, because, well. There’s a tent of some sort in his jeans too.

Liam blushes more when he notices.

“Yeah, Liam, he told me as well” Theo answers, completely ignoring the jeans situation.

Liam plays along.

“Uh, right, sorry”

Theo snorts.

“So… you told your dad” he comments.

Liam nods. He sighs, drawing air out for a few seconds.

“I mean, after the hunters… Scott said it was fine telling him. And I wanted him to know. I just… never found the courage to, till now”

Theo nods, understanding. He doesn’t have a family, doesn’t know what it feels like to be hiding something that big to a parent, but Liam knows he isn’t faking the sympathy.

“He’s taken it pretty well” the chimera goes on: “even seems quite… professionally flexible. I mean, he adapted to the whole, supernatural with a different biology thing pretty fast, didn’t he” he comments.

He sounds impressed, Liam smiles a bit, feeling incredibly proud of his stepfather. 

“He’s amazing”

“Well, that I don’t know,” Theo comments, Liam not being sure if he’s feigning sarcasm now: “but, medically speaking, he took it like a fish to water. Just needed Ms. McCall and Deaton to tell him really quickly some differences, and he rolled on with it”

“Oh” Liam comments, now feeling really proud of his stepdad: “I didn’t think about that”

Theo snorts: “Yes, I bet you didn’t. He really is a good doctor” he repeats.

Liam nods, not sure what he should say.

“Melissa gave him the bestiary. I bet he won’t sleep tonight, not until he’s finished it”

Theo chuckles.

“Did you take your nerdiness from him?” he asks, playfully.

Liam snorts.

“Like you can talk” he says.

Theo just smirks. Doesn’t comment on the fact that it just isn’t the same thing, Liam taking after a stepfather figure and Theo after murderers, supernaturally enhanced cyborg doctors. Liam knows that’s what they both are thinking, Liam almost regretting his words, Theo not bothered enough to care.

“Still, I liked how he still took care not to overdose her or something” he comments.

Liam nods: “Well, he always goes on about the dangers of unneeded medication, so…”

Theo nods, smiling tired.

Liam hates that he feels like repeating it, but, he ends up saying again.

“Theo” he calls, and Theo looks up. Serious, tired, knowing what’s coming.

“I am sorry. That Tracy got hurt. I would be sorry even if you got hurt, instead of her”

Theo sighs.

He looks down, and when he meets Liam’s eyes again there is a forced smile stretched on his lips.

“Yes, Liam. I understand. The thing is, you wouldn’t be sorry at all, if it had been you, ending up hurt”

Liam… doesn’t answer. Because, well. What can he say, without lying?

“Uh, I…” he tries: “…yeah I guess you’re right”

Theo shakes his head, still holding his gaze. He seems to be mulling over his next words, choosing them carefully.

“Liam, if it had been you, the one on this bed, drugged into unconsciousness and slowly recovering, where do you think I would be?”

Silence.

Liam swallows.

If it had been Liam on that bad, Theo would still be on the same chair. He would still be here, in this room, beating himself up for not protecting him. He would… feel guilty for not stopping Liam from foolishness.

Theo nods, seeing that his words have sunk.

“I mean it. You have to stop putting yourself in the line of danger. Unnecessarily, if I may add, because I told you nothing good would come from your stunt”

Liam swallows, holding Theo’s gaze, the chimera is right, and they both know. So he just nods.

“I’m sorry” he repeats.

“I don’t want you to be sorry” Theo replies, with slightly more force: “I want you to grow up. You are young, you are strong. You don’t know what it means to be on the losing side, you’re too used to your pack, their hero mentality. But you have to learn the difference between playing hero and being plain stupid reckless”

Silence, again.

Liam nods. Theo is right.

“I know” he says: “You’re right”

“Yes” Theo agrees: “Yes, I am” he repeats, his voice now softening, as if he just consented to drop the topic.

A silence settles, not too uncomfortable, but not exactly a pleasant one.

“Why do you think it worked, when you took her pain, and with Scott it hasn’t?” Liam asks, after a while.

Theo bites his lip and shakes his head.

“I don’t know” he answers, honestly.

“Do you think it’s because you’re a chimera, like her?” Liam asks.

Do you think it’s because you’re important to her?

Do you think it’s because you care about her more than Scott does?

Liam swallows again.

“To be honest…” Theo starts, then he stops, shakes his head and chuckles. It isn’t a nice sound. It’s the sound Theo makes when he’s about to say something he doesn’t like.

“To be honest, I think it has to do with me. I don’t know what the Doctors have used to… well… make me” he says, looking straight up into Liam’s eyes.

Liam nods.

Wow. What a terrifying thought, not knowing what some crazy scientists have put in your DNA. How they have altered you.

Thank god, the moment is interrupted by a polite knocking on the door, and they both turn to see Dr. Geier, standing close to the threshold. He has tired eyes, a nice smile, the bestiary tucked under his arm.

“Hi boys” he greets them, his voice warm.

“Hi dad” Liam replies. Theo just nods the doctor’s way, an equally polite smile on his lips.

“How is Tracy? When was Melissa here, last time?”

“She’s fine” Theo answers: “Ms. McCall has been here about half a hour ago”

Dr. Geier nods.

“Good. Good. She knows more than I do about… well… you” he smiles awkwardly, as if he wondered if he’s just put his foot in his mouth. Liam smiles, warm and bright, Theo just snorts, as if to say, no offence taken.

The doctor fidgets on the spot, looking down and up again at the boys as if he was working out the courage to approach them with something. Liam frowns, curious. Theo, feeling the same way, wears his carefully neutral face.

“So… I have started reading the bestiary” he tries: “and, I have just read something really interesting. I… Do you mind if I ask you something?”

He looks particularly at Theo, but he includes Liam as well. Liam nods, Theo tells him to ask freely.

“Yes, well. It’s about this healing thing. I wanted to see how Tracy’s regenerative system works. If I understood it correctly, she is part kanima and part… werewolf? So, her healing system is a bit of a mixture between the one of these two…uh… creatures?”

Theo nods.

“Yes, but, as a chimera, it’s never simple to know in advance. Because the only one who really knew what has been put in our system were the Dread Doctors, and now they are dead, there is no way to know beside direct experience” he explains.

Dr. Geier frowns.

“So, you are saying that, for example, you don’t know if you could survive something that Liam could. I don’t know, something,…” he looks for examples but looks vaguely nauseated at the idea of picturing Liam in any of the scenarios he comes up.

“Like, if I end up in a car crash” Liam suggest: “or… drown. Or, fall from a very high altitude and break all my bones. Or, like what happened to Peter, if someone sets me on fire”

Dr. Geier looks at his stepson, appalled.

“What?!”

“There wouldn’t be any chance to know in advance if I would make it out alive, as Liam could” Theo answers, ignoring the comment.

Dr. Geier looks at Theo for a long minute, silent. He’s digesting the information. He looks still alarmed at the last words from Liam, and he’s obviously relieved to know all those deadly situations might not be as deadly for Liam, but, at the same time, he frowns, looking straight into Theo’s eyes.

“Has it ever happened to you?” the doctor asks Theo.

Theo shrugs: “Being set on fire? Once, but it was a small thing. And I’ve always regrown any bones I’ve broken, no mattered how badly I’ve smashed them”

“You have been set on fire?!” Liam asks, his neck snapping to the side so fast it must hurt.

Theo ignores him.

Dr. Geier shakes his head, sighing.

“This is… this is so unfair. You are teenagers”

“There are humans teenagers in the world who face worse, and they don’t even have superpowers” Theo points out.

Dr. Geier doesn’t reply, just nodding silently.

Theo kips his head to the side, slightly.

“I feel like you still haven’t asked the real question you had for us” he comments, neutral and careful as Liam really doesn’t like him to be.

The doctor snorts.

“Is it because I give some signals I am not aware of, or are you particularly intuitive?”

“Both” Theo answers, shrugging.

He looks a bit smug at that, Liam notices. This little fucker, Liam thinks, smirking.

“Yes, you are right” Liam’s stepfather admits: “I don’t know how to ask you this. It’s about absorbing pain. From what Melissa mentioned, you and Scott have both tried to… syphon Tracy’s pain away from her? How does that work?”

Liam frowns. He’s got the feeling there is a reason behind this question. And if it has dawned on him, then it must have been clear to Theo since longer.

“It’s not something that any supernatural can do. It requires emotional involvement, sympathy for the person in pain. Werewolves, for example, can do it. Liam here, for example: if you cut your hand with a broken glass, let’s say, Liam could just take your hand and suck your pain out of your neural system. The information would simply not be transmitted to your brain” Theo explains, waving Liam’s way.

“But would I continue to bleed?” Dr. Geier asks.

Theo shrugs: “That depends by the extent of the injury, and also by the involvement between the hurt person and the supernatural absorbing the pain”

“Lori died that way” he adds. His stepfather frowns, and Liam has to clears his voice: “Brett was… seriously wounded. And she took his pain, tried to stop the bleeding, until it killed her”

Dr. Geier pales visibly.

“…Because she took too much?”

“Yes” Theo replies, nodding.

“Oh my god”

The doctor shakes his head, then looks at Liam with a pained expression.

“Liam, I am so sorry… I thought it was a hit and run”

“It was” Liam answers, voice clipped: “by hunters. After they had overdosed Brett with wolfsbane”

Dr. Geier frowns slightly.

“Poisonous for werewolves” Theo explains.

The doctor nods.

“I can’t believe it”

Liam looks away. He doesn’t want to get angry. He swallows, to keep anger down.

Dr. Geier turns again to Theo.

“You said that werewolves can take the pain. What about chimeras?”

“Some can. Corey always could. I had to learn. Tracy still can’t” Theo explains.

The doctor nods.

Theo snorts.

“Are you ready to ask you real question, now?”

The doctor smiles tentatively.

“You really are intuitive, aren’t you?”

“To be honest, you’re being pretty obvious. I bet even Liam caught on that” Theo replies.

Liam makes a feeble sound of protest. His stepfather chuckles lightly, looks at Tracy, shakes his head.

“How long could you absorb the pain of someone, before it hurts you?”

Liam shrugs. Theo screws his face.

“It depends. What’s the injury we would be dealing with?”

“One of my patients… one of my youngest patient. She has cancer. Terminal stage. Nothing we have tried can work. And now even morphine stopped working” he answers, slow and careful.

“She… she is four years old. This isn’t the first time I see a kid dying. But… I think a supernatural could help her feel less pain. It wouldn’t save her… but at least her parents wouldn’t have to watch her die in pain”

Silence.

Liam feels like someone punched him. It’s a recurrent feeling, recently. He looks over at Theo, and sees through the blank expression on the chimera’s face. He knows how Theo has killed Tracy: taking her energy, the same way he has now taken her pain. But then, Theo has helped Gabe dying in a less painful way, holding him through his last minutes.

Liam’s jaw clenches and unclenches. It’s like, after taking a life by sucking it away from someone, now life has condemned Theo to help people die in a more comfortable way.

Isn’t it like asking him to kill the person? Well, not really. If this kid is dying anyway…

Theo swallows nervously, doesn’t bother hiding it. He stands up and nods at Liam.

“Show us the way” he tells Dr. Geier.

Xxxxx

The walls are painted a soft hue of lilac, Liam notices.

Why. Why are the walls lilac? Shouldn’t hospital walls always be white? They were white, downstairs, or, down some stairs - he doesn’t know just how many, they’ve taken the elevator to come up here, of course (even if, elevator. In this hospital. Cue the chills down his spine. Theo’s too).

There is something on this floor that gives Liam the creeps. It could be the lilac walls. It could be the bad memory associated with any elevator in this building. It could be because last time he was here he almost died. Or it could be the overwhelming stench of death and despair that hangs heavy in the air, not just as in the rest of the hospital, but much, much thicker.

It makes Liam’s skin crawl. He feels like scratching it open, just to see if his blood is still running. If his organs are still alright. Looking good, stomach, congrats. Hey, lungs, have I worked out?

The hysteria he borders on is a testament to his uncomfortableness. The despair, sorrow and pain stinking up all the air on this floor turn it unbreathable. Liam is sure even a human would feel this.

It’s also the silence. In the rest of the hospital, or, at least, on the floor where Tracy is sleeping (now alone in the room, although Ms. McCall has promised Theo she would come and check on her more often, with them gone), there wasn’t much noise, but at least there wasn’t this ungodly silence. This is an oppressive, maddening, tear-out-your-brain-through-your-ears kind of silence. You could still hear people talking softly, visitors and patients, nurses and doctors speaking slightly louder, people walking, moving things, the elevator dinging when it reaches the floor.

Now, here, everything is engulfed in a syrupy, sick silence.

It’s taking Liam a lot of restraint not to turn tail and run. He doesn’t mostly because he’s promised his stepdad he would help, and because there is the life of a suffering, small human kid on the line. Someone who, his stepdad has been clear about that, they don’t have any chance, any hope to heal, to help. Only to dull the pain she is in, until she finally dies.

Liam feels… quite shocked, when he thinks about that. Talk about putting things into perspective: that is about the only thing that keeps him rooted in that direction and doesn’t have him running back to the elevator’s hall. That and, the fact that Theo is right beside him, walking silently behind Dr. Geier, in row with Liam.

He looks, feels and smells as uncomfortable as Liam feels, probably more. After what Theo has mentioned of his time in hell, Liam can see why. He’s surely got his reasons not to like hospitals, alright.

And yet here Theo is. Theo Raeken, braving his own fears to help a kid. Liam feels so stupidly proud he can’t even start describing it.

If only that didn’t mean that the chimera has completely shut down, again, that is. If only Theo hadn’t excluded Liam, along with anyone else from the outside world, keeping him out from whatever is going on in his head.

He doesn’t like it, when Theo shuts him out like that. Between that and the time Theo has spent lying to them, Liam really finds it difficult to choose what he feels it’s worse. And it’s not because he doesn’t know how to detect Theo’s true feelings, no, he’s learned to do that, a bit. It’s because, Theo closing down on his emotions means that Theo doesn’t trust Liam.

Now this? This drives Liam absolutely crazy. He can feel the anger, triggered also by his discomfort with their current situation, boil and rise, taking on the first chance available to surface.

But seriously, doesn’t Theo know that Liam would much rather cope with a Theo feeling afraid, mad, hell, even cowardly wishing out, instead of not knowing at all what is going on?

Right when Liam is about to clench his jaw so hard it might crack, eyes thundering Theo’s way, Theo kips his head towards him and raises his perfect, frankly irritatingly so, eyebrow. And smirks, the motherfucker.

They’re still walking. Liam doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to, to acknowledge he’s being caught. And he doesn’t feel like playing dumb. He looks down at his own shoes, feeling the blush spread on his cheeks.

Theo snorts slightly through his nose, as if against his will. He doesn’t get to say anything he might want to, though, because that’s when Dr. Geier stops in front of a door.

A closed door, from which an even stronger wave of pain, sorrow and despair comes, filtering from under the flimsy wooden panel.

‘Jesus. Great. Here we go’ Liam thinks.

He turns nervously to steal a glance at Theo, and meets the chimera’s eyes. Theo tries to look calm, but Liam can read through that, can see the panic.

It’s the only thing he needed to calm down. A wave of security, confidence and determination washes over him. It numbs the fear and gives him purpose. He flashes something to Theo, his eyes trying to tell him, calm down, we’ve got this, and he breathes out.

The stench of medication and body rotting away is so strong Liam has to fight not to gag. His stepdad murmurs something soft to the two occupants of the room, sitting on the left. On the right, there is a giant hospital bed, which is actually standard sized but looks much bigger, given the fact that its only occupant is currently curled up into a tiny, tiny ball of pain.

Liam can feel, can almost hear the moment Theo’s heart stop beating, and when it starts again. He doesn’t dare turn and look the chimera in his face, though. He feels it’s better leaving Theo some privacy.

The room is dark, compared to the hall, probably because the light hurts the young patient’s eyes. She’s curled on herself, her head not visible, shielded under her arms and knees. An almost never-ending stream of soft whimpers comes from the almost bald head. Some blond strands are still attached to it. Liam wonders why they haven’t shaved it completely. Hadn’t that been more merciful?

The wave of pain almost forces Liam to take a step back. It roots Theo on his spot, the fists of the chimera clenching. Liam smells blood and knows that Theo’s fighting to keep his claws down. He wonders how hard his instincts must be screaming at him to just run, run away and find somewhere safe.

Dr. Geier is speaking softly with the two adults on the chair.

“Mr. Ashton, Mrs. Ashton, these are Theo and Liam. They are here after my request” he explains.

Mr. Ashton raises his head from his hunched position, throwing a skeptical glare to the boys behind the doctor.

“Those boys? I though you mentioned something to relief Julie’s pain. What are they supposed to do?” he asks, his voice broken, raspy for the long time he hasn’t used it, and slightly unfriendly. Liam understands: if he was in the man’s place, anger would be his first reaction too.

Dr. Geier nods. He explains the unconventional nature of the solution he has concocted, what he meant to help Julie feel less in pain. Mrs. Ashton also raises her head during the doctor’s speech, pins him with a look that borders on betrayal.

“I hope you are not kidding, Doctor. We certainly aren’t up to jokes” she whispers, eyes slit with hurt and poison in her voice.

She would make a good kanima, Liam thinks. He feels terribly ashamed of that thought, right after it popped up in his mind. He can understand the hostility and pain these people feel. He can’t help what his brain comes up with, though.

Theo ignores the explanations, the way Dr. Geier politely and softly goes on clarifying that no, this isn’t a joke, and he doesn’t have in mind anything that will hurt Julie. Or them. The chimera walks towards the bed, approaching softly and making his presence clear to the kid.

Similarly, Liam walks to the parents, while his stepdad is still speaking. He doesn’t look at them in the eyes, finding it easier this way. He grabs Mrs. Ashton’s hand and clutches it in his own before the woman can free herself. She makes to protest, her husband fidgeting in his chair and almost shoving Liam away, but that’s when Liam starts to take the lady’s pain.

She makes a soft sound, startled, rooted in her place. Her eyes widen as she sees unfamiliar black lines appearing in her hand and slithering up towards Liam’s, passing from her to him, disappearing somewhere in his arm. Mr. Ashton gapes, blinking owlishly.

“What… What…” he tries, not able to ask.

DR. Geier explains, again, that Liam and Theo can help them. That what they can do will not hurt them, or Julie. At this point, Liam looks at Mr. Ashton right in the eyes, and offers him his second hand, open. Mr. Ashton hesitates, looking at his wife. She looks back, then searches Liam’s face.

“Is this hurting you?” she asks.

Liam shakes his head.

“If I don’t do it for too long, it doesn’t” he explains.

Mrs. Ashton turns back to her husband. He looks hesitant, again, though not unconvinced. Then he accepts Liam’s hand. He makes the same surprised sound his wife did, when the black lines appear and slither away from him.

Liam syphons their pain away, while Theo takes on Julie. He’s approached her, murmuring soft things, asking her if he can try to help her. She whimpers and cries, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. He tells her, his voice whisper soft, a sound that does wonder also on Liam’s nerves, he explains that he only wants to help her, that he can help her not be in pain.

“Will there be needles?” Julie asks, from somewhere buried under where she’s nestled.

Theo’s hurt stutters. Liam only imagines this, but, he thinks Theo can relate. He thinks Theo knows what it means to be afraid of needles, of being injected too many times with a dozens different things, and who knows if they work or not.

Theo swallows, smiles over Julie, and nobody can see that, but Liam can smell the salty scent of the tears swelling the chimera’s eyes.

“No, honey. Just your hand in mine” he promises, hoisting himself up in the bed.

She turns, lying on the opposite side, looking up at him. Theo smiles at her, offers her one of his bright, warm smiles. Liam doesn’t see it, he’s giving his back to the bed and its occupant, but he can smell it in Theo’s chemosignals. Just like he knows this is a truly warm smile, one that the chimera isn’t faking.

“Hey, beautiful” he tells her. He lies down close to her, mirroring her, and takes her hand in his. He starts sucking the pain out of her almost instantly, faster than Liam is doing, and Liam almost frowns. Did Theo take Gabe’s pain as fast as he is doing right now? Is that too fast? Will it harm him?

Julie stops whimpering. She makes soft noises, but no longer indicating pain.

“You’re a young doctor” she murmurs, her voice sounding numbed, as an adult would, if they were high. Liam wonders if it’s the morphine in Julie’s system, if it’s because she’s just a kid, or because she’s exhausted.

He wonders how much of the drugs Julie is taking will end up into Theo’s system as well.

“Yeah, what can I say, I’m very smart, I’m already a doctor” Theo jokes, keeping his voice soft.

Julie crawls up and nestles against Theo, their joined hands between them. The chimera envelopes her in a one-armed hug, keeping her close.

The Ashtons look in silence. After a while, Liam lets go of their hands, and they thank him, eyes grateful and tired. Liam can see that some of the pain will never leave, but, what could be taken away, that has dimmed considerably. He feels proud of himself and, when he turns, he meets his stepdad’s gaze. He smiles, sharing the feeling.

Liam smiles back. Then he frowns, checking Theo and Julie. The kid has fallen asleep not long after the start of the procedure. Theo has his eyes closed, but he’s still awake. Liam can sense his discomfort, slowly growing into pain. Alarmed, he makes it closer to the bed, but doesn’t get too close, not wanting to distract Theo.

The stream of black pain from Julie to Theo is uninterrupted, and as fast as it was before. Liam’s frown deepens, as he wonders just how much pain Theo is taking. And, won’t this start to put Julie’s life in danger as well? But, her cheeks looks redder, brighter, her skin less gray. Liam can smell the scent of rotten and death slowly dissipating from her tiny body.

Only, the better she smells, the more Theo reeks of exhaustion, pain and sickness. The chimera keeps his expression guarded, carefully neutral, but he can’t hide the way he’s started sweating, his skin going pale, clammy, his hair sticking to his temples.

“Theo” Liam intervenes, taking one step closer and finally reaching the bed. He’s still not as close to Theo as he wanted, as he’s on Julie’s side.

“Theo, take a break. Let me do it”

Theo opens his eyes.

And, just like that, Liam feels ashamed for even asking. The green eyes are as bright as ever, they bore into him with too many emotions at once.

Liam just nods, surrendering to the chimera’s strong will.

“But you will have to stop soon” he repeats, not ready to back down entirely. He won’t have Theo risking his life. That would be just stupid. It’s clear as day that the chimera is already helping the little girl a lot.

Maybe more than what Dr. Geier has hoped.

Not long after Liam’s spoken, Theo makes the softest sound of pain and closes his eyes even harder. Nobody noticed, nobody human. Liam, though, decides it’s time to intervene. Theo is, after all, a chimera, and chimeras are less powerful than werewolves. Plus the pain Liam has absorbed from Julie’s parents was mostly emotional, nothing comparable with what Theo’s dealing with.

He reaches out and places a hand over Julie’s shoulder, taking a part of her pain. Theo relaxes slightly, going on with his own part of syphoning pain out of young Julie Ashton, but the stream slows down.

The little girl looks much better, but, after another long while, Theo looks really terrible. His lips are white and he looks very much like he’s undergoing some nasty case of poisoning. He probably is.

Liam turns to his stepdad, his eyes pleading, and Dr. Geier nods. Liam lets go of Julie, and gently takes her in his arms, putting her down again, far from Theo. He also makes sure to take Theo’s hand away. The chimera makes some resistance, opening an eye.

Liam freezes, realizing Theo hasn’t felt him taking Julie away.

“That’s it, you’re done” he mutters, and resolutely grabs Theo’s hand and moves it away from the kid.

“What are you doing?” Mr. Ashton asks, almost protesting.

Liam turns, and that allows Julie’s parents to actually see Theo, beyond Liam’s shoulder.

“Has… has this hurt him?” Mrs. Ashton asks.

“He needs to stop” Liam explains, sticking to facts.

They don’t protest. Julie looks better than she had in months, Liam bets, and they fret over her sleeping body. Mrs. Ashton hugs her daughter, careful not to wake her up, crying silently. Mr. Ashton, tears streaming down his face, looks back at Liam and DR. Geier, thanking them.

Liam nods, shouldering Theo up from the bed and out the room. Theo doesn’t protest, just follows any movement Liam initiates, and tries to walk as much as he can. In the elevator, Liam steals some of Julie’s pain away from Theo, feeling a slight burn up his arm. He wonders, if this little overuse hurt him, what has it done to Theo?

He frowns, looking at the chimera, who holds himself up against the wall of the elevator, but just barely. His chest is rising and falling fast, as he takes deep breaths, and he tries to swallow around his dry throat.

“You’re getting water, and something to eat” Liam informs him, voice not admitting protest, but Theo doesn’t even attempt any. Which worries Liam even more.

They walk their way back to Tracy’s room, Theo refusing Liam’s help and insisting he can walk. Liam presses his lips closed together but doesn’t utter a word. He stops at the vending machine, while Theo goes straight to Tracy’s room and collapses into his chair.

Liam gives him a bottle a Gatorade and Theo swallows more than half of it in one go. When he’s done, he breathes again, through his nose, eyes opening slowly, as if it hurt him. Liam puts one of the protein bars in his hand, sticking it between Theo’s fingers.

The chimera makes it to snort but doesn’t, and Liam wants to think it’s because he caught his glare and thought better. As Theo munches on the protein bar, Liam progressively relaxes, his eyes roaming in the room and falling again on Tracy’s sleeping form. Theo’s do the same, and they watch her sleep for a while.

Right when Liam is starting to wonder if this is considerable creepy, Theo snorts.

“What would I give for a real panini now” he mutters, making a face at the protein bar but eating a good chunk of it anyway. Good thing Liam dumped a few in his lap, he thinks, as Theo finishes the first and rips open the second one.

“We can get you one later” Liam offers, not sure if that was supposed to be a joke or if Theo was serious. Theo makes a non-committing sound but doesn’t answer, otherwise.

They go back to Tracy-watching, Theo munching down protein bars one after the other, Liam thinking about the inevitable similarities, and differences, between Tracy and Julie. Although Tracy is healing on her own, and it looks like the process is speeding up: she looks much better now, as if she could wake up at any given moment.

Julie, on the other hand… he bites his lower lip, wondering how much they have really helped Julie. Will she go back to the state she was before they helped? If yes, when will that happen? Was it helping her, or was it just cruelly prolonging her agony?

“Stop it” Theo murmurs, mid-munching.

Flabbergasted, Liam lets go of his lip and blushes. Theo smirks.

Of course he does, Liam thinks, annoyed. He rolls his eyes and looks away, out of the window. The sun is high, by now. It’s after midday, after all. Liam wonders how pissed his teachers are, that he’s not in class today. He wonders if Mason has covered for him, then almost smacks himself in the head, because, of course Mason has. Right?

The sudden ring of Theo’s phone startle both boys. Liam’s hands fly up, his claws almost coming out. Theo fishes his phone out and takes the call, getting up and out the room in a few, quick steps.

“Hello?”

He didn’t even check the ID, Liam realizes, smirking fondly.

Adorable, know-it-all, overcontrolling asshole, and he doesn’t check who’s calling.

Liam relaxes in his chair as soon as he realizes the voice on the other side of the phone belongs to deputy Parrish.

“Hey Theo” the deputy greets. Liam can all but see him smirking.

“Hi”

And Theo blushes slightly. Oh, now Liam wished he had left the room with the chimera, just to see that. He gloats in his chair, very amused at Theo’s obvious discomfort at having been surprised that easily.

“I found our guy” Parrish says, and Theo’s demeanor changes in a heartbeat, going all confident, serious, in charge.

And Liam… he might be slightly turned on, ok? Just, potentially.

“The sorcerer?” he asks for clarification.

Parrish makes a sound in confirmation.

“Yes. It’s the guy you thought, Mark Doyle. Buried alive in 1973, body never found. He was declared dead but there is a wedding certificate from 2003”

“Are you sure it’s the same guy?” Theo asks.

“Yes. The date of birth written in the wedding certificate is the same. He wasn’t really trying to cover his tracks” Parrish answers.

“And I would rule out someone posing as him” Theo adds.

Parrish makes a sound of agreement, then nothing else. Liam frowns as Theo waits patiently on the line.

“And… there’s another thing” Parrish continues.

“Yes, I’ve imagined” Theo neutrally comments, urging the other on.

“Well. This guy… his wife and only son died in 2013. They were murdered, the police found them inside their house. Locked in. It was ruled out as a suicide-homicide, the wife would have killed the son and then herself. But even in the official report it’s mentioned how unlikely that was. The cut on the wife’s throat is too precise, it didn’t look as something one could do to oneself. But nobody was apprehended”

“And our guy?”

“He was accused but apparently had an alibi” Parrish explains.

Theo nods.

“Looks like violence follows this guy around” he comments carefully.

Parrish agrees.

“Not just the one involving magic. His wife reported him for domestic violence and abusive behavior repeatedly since 2007. She tried to divorce from him since the same year. In 2008 she even got a restraining order”

“Wow” Liam comments, from the other room.

Theo snorts: “This guy is a real piece of work”

“Yep” Parrish agrees.

“Either being buried alive screwed him in the head, or he’s always been that way” Theo reasons.

“Both are possible” Parrish says.

“Great. How do we stop him?” Liam intervenes, standing and joining Theo out.

“Yes, well, here is the thing. Technically, I have the address where he lives. The sheriff wants to try and take him with daylight, in case day and night makes a difference on his powers” Parrish explains: “we don’t know if he still can use the barrier, though”

“Or even if he still is at that address” Liam adds, looking up at Theo, who nods.

“That would be pretty careless from him” he agrees: “but, at the same time, you know what they say, hiding in plain sight…”

Parrish asks about Tracy.

“She’s getting better” Theo answers.

“Good. I’m glad. Also, I talked to Lydia before. She and her friend are working on increasing the effect of the fairy dust”

“The fairy dust” Theo echoes, a slow grin spreading on his face.

Now it’s Parrish’s turn to blush, unseen.

“Well, yes. The magic marigold powder” he amends.

Liam and Theo find themselves grinning at each other.

“Oh, by the way…” Parrish goes on.

“I’ve looked some more into Alexis’ case. You remember, the succubus?”

Theo exhales patiently, with the expression Liam imagine any parent would have when faced with trying requests from teenager children. He is very tempted to laugh, but doesn’t, only because he doesn’t want the teenage child in question to hear him.

“Yes, I do”

“Well, I think her case deserves a bit of more… investigation”

Again, Theo sighs, patient and tried.

“Parrish, we talked about this. That has nothing to do with our sorcerer. She was just unlucky to attract Mark Doyle’s attention”

“Yes, but” Parrish insists: “remember, you ventured the hypothesis of succubi being forced into prostitution”

Theo sighs a third time, this time louder.

“No, but, listen” Parrish hurries: “I found evidence. If we could just…”

“Parrish” Theo interrupts him, with a tone of condescending calm so thick in his voice that Liam is highly surprised he doesn’t actually call the deputy Jordan, or, son. It does, in fact, sound quite a lot like the voice sheriff Stilinski uses many times with them.

“Parrish, tell me. Is this evidence in LA?”

The deputy hesitates: “Yes, but…”

“Then how would you explain to your colleagues in LA that you are taking over a case that should belong to them? One that, to them, isn’t even a case in the first place?”

Liam recognizes Theo’s you’re-being-an-idiot-but-I’m-rolling-with-it-anyway voice and feels suddenly very sympathetic to the deputy.

Parrish snorts: “Well, its not exactly a good thing that they don’t, to start” he objects.

“Yes, but, are you going to tell them?” Theo argues.

“They probably don’t know anything about the supernatural” Parrish concedes.

Theo looks at Liam with a deadpanning face that it’s a very good thing that Parrish can’t see.

“Yes, which you, yourself, haven’t been doing for that long time, am I wrong”

“Well, even more a reason to step in then!” Parrish insists, voice slightly harder. Liam wonders if the guy has already fused something around him. He lifts an eyebrow at Theo and the chimera gets it, with no needs for words. Liam knows, because Theo smirks back.

What an asshole, right? Liam grins at him.

“Theo, don’t you see? We have to do something. We know how to help, there’s people being exploited!”

“Dying, even, probably” Theo answers, his voice thick in sarcasm as if to say, I get it pal, but this isn’t enough to justify our involvement, and you should know. It’s Theo’s way to say, stay out of his. But, as much as Liam can understand that coming from the chimera, it’s a bit difficult to explain it to a pissed off, justice-pursuing hellhound, starving to right some wrongs.

Liam presses his lips really tight, not wanting to risk a chuckle right now. Parrish makes a really mean hellhound, when he’s mad.

As the officer splutters insults on the phone, Theo shushes him.

“Parrish, calm down. I understand. You want to help people. That’s really good from you. But you realize that, as soon as they see you stepping in into what LAPD consider their own thing, you will not have their help or support, right?”

“I don’t need either” Parrish answers, stubborn.

“Yes, but you might need their permission” Theo points out.

That silences Parrish for a while, although it’s clear the guy isn’t giving up yet.

“Look. Let me worry about formalities and police bureaucracy. I will find a way”

“M-mm” is all that Theo says, a very unimpressed sound.

“The question is. When I will find it. Will you help me on this case?”

“You’re working on a supernatural case already. Crazy sorcerer on a killing spree, zombies, remember Is this not enough for you?”

Liam winces, wondering if it’s healthy to sass an already pissed off hellhound like that.

“Theo. Will you?” Parrish insists.

Theo sighs, drawing it for long.

“As if the sheriff will not ask me to come hold you hand. Look, if you find a way to talk LAPD into letting you help, and if you can justify bringing me in as an external and unofficial consultant again. Then yes, I will help you. Now, please, can we go back to our actual case? The one that rightfully belongs to your department?”

Parrish grunts an unintelligible answer and ends the call.

Liam can’t say he’s surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is near.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This stranger,  
The real you,  
The real me.
> 
> Also, less poetically: "what the fuck!?"

Soft noises. Someone is breathing, close to her. Two people. One of them, she breathes their scent in, it makes her dizzy. A good, earthy, masculine scent, the one her brain associates with the best of things. She would recognize it in a crowd.

She has to fight against the smile forming on her lips. She must not react, she doesn’t want him to pick up on the fact that she is awake. And he is so carefully tuned to anything around him, she has to be extremely careful.

This is the way shelter smells like, this is the soft, sweet promise of warmth, rebirth, life. This is the person who gave her life and purpose, when she was lost. Only one, single time this scent has brought her death, but twice it has been the first thing she’s caught coming back to life.

Theo.

She puts all her efforts in not stirring, keeping her eyes closed and tuning all her senses, still slightly dulled by the drugs wearing off, on the chimera. On the unguarded version of him that she loves to witness, and the one that she has managed to see only a few, rare moments, when she’s caught him sleeping.

His heartbeat is regular, a nice rhythm that lulls her. This calm, he must be resting, must be close to fall asleep. She breathes out the sigh that comes up: she knows it sounds creepy, but, he truly is beautiful to watch, as he sleeps.

His good scent doesn’t hide how tired and fatigued he is. She frowns, wondering why. She understands he has been by her side all this time, but he can’t be this exhausted by just that. She focuses on the second scent, the werewolf in the room. Close, very close to Theo – Liam.

She clenches her teeth. Liam smells good too, but she can’t avoid noticing he is really close to Theo, probably leaning on the chimera. His heartbeat is regular and soft, even more than Theo’s: he must be sleeping. She can almost picture him, slouched on Theo, his boyish face relaxed in sleep.

She doesn’t have a thing against Liam, if not the fact that he’s Scott’s precious beta, the epitome of everything pure and good, and she doesn’t like either. Liam is that she thinks Theo wanted to be but has been groomed to out best. Liam is what Theo could have been, if it hadn’t been for the Dread Doctors. And, even if she knows Theo will never acknowledge it, Theo still wants to be what Liam is: he desperately longs to belong, to be the right-hand man of a good leader. He’s made up for that trying to con his way into Scott’s place – why settling for the right hand if you can be both hands at the same time? But it hasn’t worked, and, Tracy, deep down, is afraid that it hasn’t worked… because it has never been what Theo was supposed to be. You can’t make up for what you want to be by murdering your way inside a pack.

She swallows. Here Liam is. Very close to Theo. She almost snorts. Yes, of course she feels protective towards Theo, he is her to protect. It’s her duty, her mission. Because, as smart and deadly and amazing and terrifying as Theo has proved he can be, he still is a very inexperienced boy. And she knows little of love, but she knows it hurts. She’s learned the hard way: not all of us are lucky enough to be loved back by the people we love. She isn’t, she knows.

Now, it looks like Theo might be. Liam looks serious enough. Tracy knows she has to step aside and let these two morons try. Liam was good to Hayden, he can be good to Theo, too. And, worst case scenario, if he hurts Theo, Tracy can always murder him, the most painful way she can concoct. Surely a broken-hearted Theo won’t be a Theo too bothered by learning Tracy killed the person who tore his heart out.

Although, now that Theo plays for the good guys, who knows how he might react.

Liam stirs but goes on undisturbed to sleep. She really has to keep from snorting. If this idiot doesn’t get it together and kneels in front of Theo (to do what, whether to propose or blow the chimera, Tracy will let him decide), she will pound his head so hard, until he finally does get it.

Her arms twitch, and the soft noise the movement make is enough: Theo stirs, waking up entirely. Damn, but this boy is too used to always be in control of his surroundings. Sometimes it’s annoying.

Theo straightens up, waking Liam up too. The blond werewolf is jostled back into reality and sits up, his hair plastered to the side of his face he’s slept on, and he grumbles an adorable ‘whut’. Theo ignores him (he doesn’t: Tracy knows he is always, always focused on Liam, but at least for once he doesn’t comment on what Liam is doing, and comes to her) and gets up, walking the very few that separate him from the bed. He sits on the bed, close to her, his jeans rubbing against her skin, and takes her hand in his.

The feeling of warm skin against hers forces her to open her eyes, and she finds him looking at her.

She loves the way Theo smiles, the warm, sweet, protective way he smiles when he’s unguarded, when he doesn’t fake anything, when she just looks at her and she knows he is genuinely happy to see her awake.

It hurts, like a punch in the gut. Like his claws, deep into her back, twisting life out of her. it hurts because he cares, but not enough, not the way she needs him to. And he can’t even hold a grudge against him for that.

What is worse, is that she realizes that a good part of the reason why he is so tired it’s her. He’s been here, sitting by her hospital bed, spending who knows how many hours looking at her. hating himself for not protecting her, and, even worse, hating himself because Tracy is the most perfect reminder of any mistake he’s done, before hell.

Shit.

How the fuck can she erase this from his memory? How can she make him stop hating himself this way? Is she supposed to just watch him smile at her, knowing that she, with her presence, is enough to twist the knife in his wounds?

She smiles back, wanly.

‘Fuck’ is all her educated, usually very witty and good with words brain can come up with.

Xxxxx

“She looks fine” Liam says.

There is only a door between them and her. a solid, wooden door, but not enough to keep Tracy from hearing. Even with the sound of the shower spraying water down on the tiles with a vengeance, she can hear Liam as if she was there.

She smiles, hearing Theo cuff him on the back of his neck.

“Forgive him, Tracy. He was born this way” Theo mutters, apologizing under his breath for the younger boy’s tactless, unintended act of forgetfulness.

She doesn’t mind. She doesn’t care about Liam. She definitely doesn’t care about what Liam thinks of her. She cares a bit more about the fact that yes, she can hear him. Because of what she is: a chimera, turned zombie. Once a freak, always a freak, eh?

She snorts, focuses on washing away the smell of magic and pain from her body. The neutral-scented soap the hospital provides doesn’t do a great job to cover it or replace it, and she knew that in advance – she knew that showering here would have been pretty pointless, especially since Theo, apparently not having left her bedside for a minute, hasn’t brought her a change of clothes. She’s going to have to wear her soiled, blood and sweat stained ones, the ones still reeking of the same magic and pain she is working on washing away from her skin right now, but… oh well.

At least it buys her time. Time that she can spend alone, by herself, with only her thoughts. No Theo around her to mess up her feelings.

She knows that Theo knows. She knows that Theo knows that she is trying to buy time and that she needs time alone. It’s the only reason why he hasn’t argued against showering here.

She needs to be away from Theo and his eyes full of guilt, for as long as she can get.

She sighs. Softly, because, Theo is just there, and, he might be working on trying to let her some privacy, but his ears work pretty well anyway, even despite his best efforts to keep them deaf. And she doesn’t want him to know.

Many people, were they in her place, would hate Theo. After all, Theo has used her, not even bothering manipulating her but simply using her, and then he had killed her. But… it’s complicated.

She’s never imagined she would be the kind of girl to end up in this kind of mess – although, wait a second, because, this isn’t your typical situation of he-killed-me-but-I-love-him. For more than a reason. First of all, she’s still alive. Well, not because he didn’t try to kill her enough – she was very, very dead. Second: what she feels for Theo… this isn’t exactly love. It’s something complicated, that for sure, and it’s an attachment of some sort, yes, but, she is pretty sure this isn’t love.

She scoops up another dollop of soap, lathering herself up with it and rinsing it off. She washes the tears away as well. Everything to keep Theo from knowing. Or, god help her, Liam: the little shit has a nose that works better than his brain.

What she feels for Theo isn’t love. Or, not just. It’s something dark and twisted, something that has to do with the monster inside her head, and, in the end, it’s something that looks a freaking lot like love, but, it’s not love. Not that she can be one hundred percent sure, what with never having loved anyone before, but, she’s quite sure.

Human her has never had a thing for bad boys, even hot ones, who played the part of the boss of the gang. She’s never wanted a provider, someone with the answer. She’s never wanted someone who thought they should take care of her. But, at the same time, she knows that the pain she feels when she looks at Theo looking at Liam… that is a broken heart, she is sure.

She sighs again.

Theo… on paper, he was perfect, when he showed up. He was hot (still is, damn him), had all the answers, made her into something powerful and deadly, was in charge. But she’s never wanted this type of partner in a man. Actually, she’s not even entirely sure she would have gone for a male partner at all, but…

They told her she’s part kanima. Well, not they. Theo. Because he was the only one who gave a shit about them and explained to every single one of them, you are part this creature now, or, I think they’ve used DNA from this other creature, or this other. He went out of his way to explain to Corey what he was exactly, trying to find out what else, beside the chameleon, the Dread Doctors had put in him. Anyway, Theo had been… kind to them. To her. And she was a kanima. And he had told her, part of you is a creature that needs a master.

Well. She’s never been good at following leaders, before. She’s always been some kind of loner. But that moment, Theo looking at her, telling her that… they hadn’t need saying it. It went unspoken, obvious and clear as the light of day.

He was, for her. She followed him.

So. This isn’t love, but, it’s a twisted ‘something’ that goes very close to it. Tracy wishes she could hate Theo, it would make everything so much easier, but, it’s difficult to hate someone when half your brain adores them.

Those few days when she had the power over him, could twist the knife deep in his gut as much as she wanted… it had hurt, but at the same time it had felt so right. Hurt, because it had hurt him, and it always hurts to see him hurting, but at the same time, oh, the rush, the joyous rush of having him in her hands, of finally being the one holding the knife and him begging…

She shakes her head. She’s not proud of the dark, twisted satisfaction she’s felt, but, the truth is, she’d needed it. To even their past. Theo had killed her, and she has taken her ounce of flesh from his chest.

The problem, now, is that she feels they are even. But she’s still half kanima, and he’s a better person now, but, to her, he still is the one in charge. And their twisted relationship? In her brain, it looks more and more like love. But not in Theo’s. Because, the more she discovers that Theo is another type of person from the Theo she knew, and she’s growing to really like this one, the more she’s falling, really falling, for this one, the more she realizes he is head over heels in love with Liam.

Isn’t that ironic.

Xxxxx

“You know, the only thing I hate more than Beacon Hills is that it’s like I can never leave it for good” Peter whines, his palm clenching unevenly around the steering wheel.

Laura snorts. A grin spread slowly on her face. Behind them, Derek sleeps, sprawled across the backseat of the Camaro. This almost looks like ages ago, when she hadn’t been murdered yet, Peter hadn’t betrayed them yet, and Derek hadn’t befriended, and been seduced by, a murderous bitch. So yes, it couldn’t be more different from that, really.

“Tell me about it. Not even death could keep me away from it” she replies, very matter of fact.

Peter snorts, trying to smother the chuckle that slips out of him and he feels embarrassed for. She grins wider now, nothing smelling good like Peter feeling guilty.

“No, you murdering me didn’t help” she adds, enjoying the way he squirms, the uncomfortable silence that settles. And silences from Peter are an extremely rare occurrence, so. Twice more worthy.

Peter opens his mouth but closes it before uttering a word. The click of his teeth echoes in the car, despite the loud engine. Laura gloats a bit, yes. Sue her.

He keeps her eyes on the road, knowing better than to trust her uncle, his guilt. He feels bad now, but, it doesn’t mean it will last. Peter works for the McCall pack now, which is the side Laura would pick as well, but only because of his daughter. Soon or later, even Malia will stop being enough of a reason.

But, damn, it still is really, really satisfying to watch him wallow in guilt and regret, and the awareness he only has himself to blame for the way he feels. How could she not gloat?

They drive behind Argent, the hunter keeping a steady speed of 130 mph. the black SUV looks like a very deadly rhino sets on the path of destruction, the Hales right behind, Derek’s sleek Camaro like its shadow.

Thinking about the hunter brings a frown on Laura’s face. She’s not used to trust hunters. That one time one of her pack has tried to, look what good that has done to them all.

Yet she has to admit that Chris Argent is different. Not just from his crazy sister, the bitch who murdered Laura’s almost entire family, but he is not like his sister. He works with Scott, the alpha who’s inherited the alpha spark from Talia Hale, who is, for Laura, the continuation of the Hale pack. Chris Argent protects the McCall pack as if he belonged to them, just like his sister worked to destroy the Hales one.

Laura knows enough the Argent to know that Chris working with instead of against Scott McCall must be the result of another Argent woman’s work – and damn, how she wishes she’s met Allison Argent. But, from what she’s heard, of course the sorcerer didn’t bring Allison Argent back.

The kanima girl isn’t nearly as much a threat as the Argent girl could have been. Plus, Tracy back to life has slowed Theo down. Laura is quite sure the sorcerer has done this intentionally, the one thing that could keep the smartest asset of the pack from figuring out who they were fighting against – Laura is sure that, even if it has lasted for only a couple of days, that delay, that lack of attention has been preciously treasured by the sorcerer. Whatever he wanted to do and needed Theo not to be looking while he did it, he had the time for it.

She almost sighs. It’s difficult for her to form an opinion on Theo Raeken: the young chimera is, from many points of view, too much like her and Peter, at the same time. and that is a terrible combination. She admires that lucidity of thoughts, the innate ability for diplomacy, she can see he’s going to be a really valuable asset in Scott’s pack, but he’s got a very, very bad history with them. He has killed the alpha. He has tried to steal Talia’s spark from a true alpha. Laura can’t condone easily – or at all on that.

But he is smart, and that’s something so rare these days, he knows stuff, he knows the supernatural like he’s grown up with a real pack, like her, Derek, Peter – but he’s grown up alone and with monsters worse than those they have, hadn’t he. The Dread Doctors were… heavy.

Everyone keeps saying the boy has changed from what he was before. Laura believes that. At the same time, there are things she believes you don’t just grow out of, things that now impress the pack because they’re good, but they can’t be new. Like how protective he is, of Liam, of Tracy. Like the fact that he doesn’t want to risk his life, and others, in a risky plan. Laura admires that. And she doesn’t know how to wrap her mind around the knowledge that he’s been good, even when he was bad.

She shakes her head, wishing her mother was there, so she could ask her opinion. Instead, beside her there is only Peter. A very poor replacement.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” she asks, keeping her voice soft so that it won’t wake Derek up. She doesn’t have to explain more, Peter getting what she means instantly.

He keeps his eyes on the road and shakes his head, keeping his voice equally low.

“Resurrections are always messy. People tend to keep them as a last resource. I’ve had the unpleasant experience to meet a couple of zombies in my life… that’s been bad enough to make me wish never to repeat it. The smell is disgusting”

He throws her a grin as empty as his eyes, and she meets it with an expressionless face. He shrugs and goes back to watch the road.

“This ritual in particular, I have never seen it. It’s supposed to kill something pure, and bring back something purer”

He drops the comment in a way that she knows better than to let it slip. She knows it’s part a compliment to her, but there’s more to that – she wasn’t the only one who came back from death, after all, purer than the victim who paid with their life so that Laura could come back.

“I wouldn’t call the kanima girl pure. She looks pretty twisted to me” she points out, skeptically.

Peter shrugs.

“I agree, but, this is the way the ritual works. Then again, you have to compare Tracy with the succubus. Second victim, second resurrection: the correlation works that way”

Laura already knew, but she feels a stab anyway. Is this Peter’s twisted way to pay her a compliment of some sort? Telling her that her heart is purer than the one of a fifteen years old nymph, who was murdered for her? is he trying to trick her into a guilty trip, to get some revenge from before?

‘Uncle, you’re more fucked up than I thought’ she thinks, clenching her teeth to keep from snarling at him. She won’t give him that satisfaction.

And the kanima girl? She came back because her heart was purer than a succubus.

Skeptically, she raises her eyebrow: “Was the succubus that bad and nobody knew?”

Peter shrugs again: “Tracy is a chimera. Who knows what goes on in her head? What rules apply to her? maybe she acts twisted because of the kanima in her. maybe she would be the purest person in the world, if she still was human”

Laura doesn’t comment. Peter is right, unfortunately, but, like hell she’ll tell him that. Also, she doesn’t really care.

“Yeah, well, I’m just glad Theo cut that horrible emo act of his short. We need his brain”

Peter snorts and smirks.

“Oh, believe me. The way Theo Raeken is, he wouldn’t have kept that show on for much longer. He’s got a self-preservation instinct too strong to do otherwise. Even if it’s an implanted one”

Laura pulls her lips in a thin line. She agrees. She also wonders how could a boy young like Theo was when they told her he accepted the offer of the Dread Doctors, how could a boy that young think about murder and power.

She thinks about Peter’s words again, mulling them over and over. Then she tsks and clicks her tongue against her teeth.

“Believe you? Now that’s something I won’t do again”

Peter’s shoulders go rigid, and a cold silence falls. This one is enough to wake Derek, in the end, and Laura is sorry, partly, but, well. She will apologize to her brother.

Nothing is as worthy as the satisfaction of knowing she’s the reason why Peter is so uncomfortable, again.

Xxxxx

“What the actual fuck?!” Derek whisper-shouts, eyes huge.

“I second that” Peter comments, voice dripping sarcastic.

“Shut it Peter. Derek, close your mouth. We need to do something”

Laura’s harsh tone brings the others two Hales to full focus. Not that they have lost it, but. They’re in the cemetery of Beacon Hills. They’re half hiding behind some trees and the low stone wall that acts like a fence – a very useless one, given how even the zombies can pass easily over it.

They’ve just arrived back in town and just by some random chance they have decided to stop by the cemetery and check the area. What with the fact that it’s deep in the night and shit seems to go down at night, here, these days.

And what a radiantly good idea that has turned out to be. Not according to Peter, who has already expressed all his displeasure for their current predicament in all kind of angry whispering he could muster, but definitely according to Malia and Scott, who are currently busy clawing down zombies left and rights. The bastards keep popping out from the ground, the sorcerer picks them up like mushrooms from under some bushes, and the teenagers have a hard time killing, or, well, stopping them (can you kill a dead thing?).

Beside Laura, Argent hisses and swears. He hesitates but comes to accept the fact that yes, he has to leave his assault rifle behind and go in macho style, with something that involves direct body contact with those things. Laura smirks, about to comment on how she pities him for his lack of claws, when he slips a hand under the back of his jacket and takes out a giant, very mean looking machete.

“What the fuck!” she exclaims, not really caring if the zombies will hear her, they’re not hiding that well: “did you have it under there all this time?”

Peter smirks: “Never ask a hunter their secret, darling”

“Yeah, and, never strip one either. There are places where you don’t want to know they keeps weapons” Derek adds, almost as an afterthought.

Laura and Peter look at him with arched eyebrows, as if to say, really Derek, are you sure, this guy is the brother of the hunter you’re referring to. Argent has, in fact, turned and is looking at Derek with a very pointed look as well.

“I’ll assume you mean Braeden”

Derek, to his credits, shrugs: “Well, it’s not like Kate was the only hunter I’ve slept with”

Peter snorts, Laura looks at her brother wondering if she will have to step in to save him – but Argent just smirks.

“You really have a death wish” he comments. Then he turns, ignore them all, and charges towards Scott and Malia. They are in the middle of a clearing, back to back, tombstones surrounding them, and they take down all the zombies they can reach. Argent swings his machete left and right and beheads a couple of them.

Peter joins in immediately, working on covering his daughter, mostly. He’s remarkably effective, and allows Malia to move more than Scott did, so she switches partner eagerly, Argent taking Scott’s back.

Laura and Derek join the battle too, back against back, mauling any zombie in reach and trying to run after some of those getting too close to the gates.

“Try to cut their heads off!” Argent shouts at some point.

“Fuck you, this is disgusting!” Malia shouts back, her hand stuck in the decomposing chest of a zombie whose throat she’s already ripped open. She tries to free her hand a couple of times, then roars in frustration and kicks it in the chest so hard she sends the head flying meters away.

Her hand now free, she takes on another zombie, punching her closed fist right through its skull and then tearing it out. gray matter splattering everywhere.

“Gah, so disgusting!”

“Malia, stop playing with your food!” Peter chides her, a bit awkwardly since he’s basically screaming.

“This isn’t food! I’m never going to eat this!” Malia points out, grabbing a zombie by impaling it with her claws and tearing its head off with the other hand.

“The sorcerer must be here somewhere” Argent points out, mostly to Scott, but they are all shouting.

“That little bastard!” Peter comment-shouts.

Argent dives and dodges the teeth of a zombie who’s launched itself at him, and cuts its head off while the creature is still flying. Scott’s back is splattered with blood and gore, and the alpha freezes on the spot.

“Ew!” he starts complaining, but can’t afford to go on, being targeted by another two zombies heading his way.

“Sorry Scott!” Argent apologies.

“Where the fuck is he!” Malia growls in frustration, uselessly trying to detect any sign of the sorcerer or the barrier in that bloody, gory battlefield. A zombie comes her way and she dodges the flailing hands, grabs the head, kicks the body away. The body lands meters away, the head stays in her hand. She throws it aside roaring.

Peter makes a small sound of praise for the move, but is lost in the fight.

“Why can’t we smell him!” she screams. She spins around, Peter following her, taking down undead creatures with vicious fury.

“Why can’t we smell you, bastard!” she repeats.

“The fucking barrier” Laura replies, even if she knows Malia doesn’t really need an answer. She thinks frantically any way they might be able to smell something that’s not supposed to smell, to see something that’s basically invisible.

They can’t afford stopping and they’re starting to slow down, showing signs of fatigue – Argent mostly, obvious in the way he pants and clenches his teeth. To protect him Scott starts fighting also opponents coming from the hunter’s side, which slows him down. Also Malia is getting sloppier, careless, which gives extra work to Peter. Laura and Derek share a glance, before going back to chopping zombies’ heads off.

“This is bad” Laura mutters.

She makes eye contact with Scott. He makes his way towards her, what he can without leaving Argent uncovered. Which is to say, very little, but it’s fine, she can hear him.

“We need to find him” Scott pants. And shit, Laura is starting to feel exhausted as well.

“We need to give him a reason to stop” the alpha goes on, looking around with wild eyes and breathing in big gulps of air despite the stench of the zombies, which is really revolting.

“That’s the plan” Laura says, dodges a zombie and slides her claws in its stomach, dragging it down, so she can tear its head off when it’s on the floor. She throws the head away and stands, looking for Scott again, but he’s busy fighting down his helping of nasty undead opponents.

“What the!” Derek exclaims, very close to Laura, and she turns to see him batting zombies away, using the arm of a disembodied, beheaded creature as a baseball bat. The arm survives a couple of swings before splattering in pieces, some of them falling on Derek’s horrified face.

Laura is about to laugh despite herself at the expression on her brother’s face, when, only a few steps from him, she sees something twitching, gleaming. She freezes, staring at the ripple of light, progressively getting easier to see in the partial darkness.

She roars, satisfaction and enthusiasm setting off like a bomb, and launches herself in direction of that gleaming light. She can see it more and more clearly, the sorcerer obvious growing more and more tired just like them. She lands very close to the barrier and starts sniffing the air. There is a scent, the distinct smell of magic, and she circles around where she now knows the barrier is.

She roars again, elated, eyes shining. Derek and Argent join her, her brother moving effortlessly around the barrier he scents, just like she’s doing, Argent taking his position after the Hales brother help him identify the perimeter of the barrier. He squints in the dark and then makes a startled sound, the gleaming light now visible even to his human eyes.

Peter, Scott and Malia finish off the last zombies, until there aren’t any left and none try to crawl out the ground.

“What, are you tired?” Laura grins ferally, taunting the sorcerer.

“You sadistic motherfucker” Peter swears, him, Scott and joining along the perimeter of the barrier.

Malia takes place close to Laura: “You’re not getting out of here alive” she promises darkly, snarling and roaring just to make sure the message gets through.

It does.

“Watch out!” Peter screams, the first one to detect the crackling of magic. The girls barely have the time to dive to the ground, dodging a lighting of magic. The grass where it falls is burned black.

“Bastard!” Malia roars, lifting her head and pushing up on her arms.

Laura looks up too… and there is nothing to see.

“No!” she screams.

There is nothing to see, nothing to smell, nothing.

Derek growls in frustration.

“No! Fucking hell, we were so close!” Laura roars again in the darkness, punching the ground under her.

The barrier has vanished.

“Let me guess, he’s gone” Argent deadpans.

Nobody replies. He doesn’t need a real answer. He goes back to his rifle, him and Derek toeing at some of the bodies on the stained grass.

“It’s going to be fun, burying them again” Derek mutters darkly.

The hunter grimaces: “Would you rather leave it like this? There must be twenty bodies lying here”

Derek snorts: “We don’t even know which body part goes with which zombie” he complains: “we don’t even know which zombies goes in which grave, either”

Argent hums in agreement and pats Derek on his shoulder: “I’ll go get shovels”

Derek growls, but doesn’t move.

Scott shakes his head, his bloodied hands closed in fists. He touches his hips only with the back, as little skin on his jeans as possible, although his jeans are pretty much already ruined with blood and gore. He grimaces and looks up, the dark sky, slowly getting lighter.

“Welcome back to Beacon Hills, guys”

Xxxxx

The sun rises, slow and inevitable. He sighs, accepting defeat.

For the moment.

Xxxxx

Theo wakes up, the sun streaming through the window and landing on his face. Hard to sleep in enduring this condition. Very unwillingly, he stirs and yawns, shielding his eyes from the sunrays. Tracy still sleeps, unbothered by the light. How he envies her habit to sleep on her stomach…

He gets up and paddles to the kitchen. Now that he and Tracy have moved back to friend zone, he pays a lot more attention to the clothes he keeps on. It comes handy, sometime. He doesn’t like having breakfast naked, or in his underwear, and if he sleeps with his sweats on… Unless it’s summer. Then breakfast in boxers is fine. Very much so.

He yawns very, very loud and hears Tracy snort from the bedroom.

“Are you trying to wake me up like that?” she grumbles.

He chuckles and fixes himself a cup of coffee.

“Me too” she whines, still from the other room.

Theo pours coffee in another cup: “I’m not taking it there” he informs her, going for the couch and pointedly leaving the cup on the kitchen table.

Tracy moans and whines wordlessly some more, but then she lets herself fall from the bed, dramatically so judging from the loud noise she makes when she hits the floor.

“… Ouch” she whines.

Theo snorts in his coffee.

Tracy emerges from the room, wearing a big t-shirt that reaches almost her knees. Her hair is in complete disarray but she tames it with just a couple of strokes in the direction she wants it to go, and ties it in a ponytail. She takes her cup and joins Theo on the couch, all but collapsing against his side.

“I’m exhausted” she announces.

“You literally just got out of bed” Theo points out.

“I have been literally fulgurated not even twenty-four hours ago, Theo, try to be a bit understanding” she replies.

Theo snorts again: “Ok, first, it was two days ago, and second, you’ve spent the entire ride home from the hospital getting food from every food shop on the way. We must have stop to feed you at least fifteen times”

Tracy ignores him and takes a sip.

“I don’t recall that”

“Well I do” Theo replies, frowning: “I don’t even know where you’ve put all that food”

Tracy shrugs: “Dunno. Must have done a lot of damage, that single strike of lighting” she comments.

Theo doesn’t reply.

Tracy rolls her eyes: “For fuck’s sake. It wasn’t… You’re not supposed to fall for a guilty trip every time I don’t double check what I’m saying. Come on. I didn’t mean it like that” she protests.

Theo looks pointedly at the coffee table opposite them.

“Still, you shouldn’t have done that” he says. He looks up and turns, so that he can look straight into her eyes. Tracy shrugs and rolls her eyes.

“This again”

“Tracy” he repeats, louder and with more conviction: “I’m serious”

“I thought you were Theo” she deadpans, taking him so much by surprise that he can’t stop the chuckle. Well, he kind of can, so, in the end it’s an aborted chuckle that goes awkwardly through his nose.

Tracy gets up, downs the rest of her coffee and moves to the bathroom. Theo hears the noise of the shower, clothes hitting the floor.

“Don’t come this way, I forgot to close the door” she informs him.

Theo snorts again. He’s about to comment on that, when he realizes that there is no way he can make a comment and not make it awkward or painful. So he just drops it, and moves, instead, in direction of the kitchen.

“So I take it you’re not hungry?” he asks.

“I thought you said I’ve eaten enough last evening?” Tracy says, loud from under the water.

Theo rolls his eyes: “Quit the smartass attitude. Are you hungry or not?”

Tracy laughs: “I’m fine. I’m still full from those paninis. They’re amazing. I’m not surprised your boy loves that place”

Theo clenches his teeth.

“I really don’t like it when you call him that” he says, politely but bordering on an implicit order.

“I really don’t care, Theo” she answers flippantly.

Theo drops it. He knows better than to insist. He doesn’t like Tracy joking about Liam, calling Liam Theo’s, when they’re each other’s nothing. Well, beside anchors.

He swallows the thought and rinse the cups in the sink. Tracy is out of the shower already, she won’t notice the hot water diminishing. Too bad.

“What do we do now?” she asks, coming out from the bathroom with the bathrobe of the lady owner of the house securely tied around her waist.

“I don’t know” Theo answers honestly: “Parrish hasn’t called yet, we don’t know if the address they have for the sorcerer is the right one, and where else to go look for him”

She shrugs and goes back to the bedroom. He can hear her opening drawers and the closet, rummaging through. She doesn’t really care that this isn’t their house. That this aren’t her clothes, her bathrobe, her make-up products. Theo half envies her easy approach: he can’t help feeling guilty, as if he was trying to steal this family’s life away.

He still thinks about finding them, sometime, if only to make sure they are still alive and well. He thinks about the drawings made by the family’s children hanging on the fridge, the pictures on the walls. Maybe, after the sorcerer…

His phone rings, startling him. He picks it up and sees it’s the police station calling.

“Who is it?” Tracy asks, loudly. She must have dived halfway in the closet.

“Sheriff” he yells back, and takes the call.

“Hi Theo” the sheriff greets him. He doesn’t sound particularly happy but neither the opposite. It’s a nice change.

“Sheriff. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asks, keeping his voice light.

“Just wanted to keep you in the loop. We have tried a couple of addresses we hoped to find Mark Doyle at, no success so far. We have still another one or two, we will work on those today”

Theo stares blankly at the tiles on the floor, not really seeing them: “Who’s we?”

“Me and Parrish, and a couple of other officers. Why?”

“I don’t like human officers to be involved, sheriff. We don’t even know what this guy could do to them” Theo answers honestly.

The sheriff sighs: “I know, Theo, I know. But it’s their job. I can hardly tell them off for wanting to do the job”

“Aren’t you the one supposed to make the team?” Theo argues.

“Yes, but I can’t exactly always send Parrish in and not them. It’s called discrimination”

Theo doesn’t reply, but is very tempted to point out that, better discriminated but alive, in this case. Although he can, kind of, understand. On an abstract level, at least.

“Well, let’s hope you don’t find anything then” he replies.

The sheriff doesn’t take the bait.

“Have you heard from Scott?” the man asks, instead. Theo hasn’t, and asks about what.

“Tonight he and the Hales have found the sorcerer. Caught him mid act. They managed to stop him, but from what I have heard they had to kill a lot of zombies”

“Wait, what?”

Tracy pops her head from the bedroom’s door: “The Hales are back?” she asks. Theo puts the call on speaker, and she pads her way back to the kitchen. She’s still in the big t-shirt from before.

“The Hales and Argent came back tonight. They’ve gone to the cemetery and found Scott and Malia wrestling down some zombies. The sorcerer was there, he’s kept resurrecting zombies until he was too tired to”

“Have they killed every zombie he’s resuscitated?” Tracy asks, a hint of admiration in her voice.

“Yes” the sheriff answers: “they’ve also managed to spot the barrier. I don’t know how, but even Argent said that at some point it became almost visible”

“The guy must have been exhausted” Theo comments: “keeping a barrier on feeds on your energy. If you’re also resuscitating people from the death, it’s double tiring”

“I guess that was the point” the sheriff agrees.

“And? Have they seen him?” Tracy insists.

“No. He's managed to escape”

“Damn” Theo comments.

“Damn” Tracy echoes, nodding.

“Yes, well, now he must be holed up somewhere, too tired to use magic. Right?” the sheriff asks.

Theo makes a face: “I hope so, sheriff. For you and the other human members of your team”

“Wait, he’s really sending humans against this guy?” Tracy asks, skeptical.

“Looks like. It would be discriminating, otherwise” Theo informs her, sarcastically.

She snorts: “I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind being discriminated but staying alive” she replies.

The sheriff doesn’t argue with that.

Xxxxx

Men come. Humans. And a hellhound.

He’s tired, too tired. Still too exhausted to lift even the simplest spell.

But they show up at the wrong address, two houses down the place he’s found shelter.

Good thing he’s kept moving.

Xxxxx

“So what do we do now?” Tracy asks. She’s wearing a jeans mini skirt with a dark top and cowboy boots. She looks stunning. A bit odd for this side of California, but still incredibly hot.

They’re in the parking lot of the high school, Tracy sitting on the hood of Theo’s car, Theo leaning against the fence. They probably look like some kind of commercial, two young, hot teenagers. Few people pass but nobody seems concerned with the fact that they look young enough to be supposed to be in school, instead of waiting outside.

“What do you mean?” Theo asks.

She knows that he wants to check in on Liam, and she knows that Scott has asked him to do so anyway, so he has double a reason to be here. But he has the feeling that she’s not talking about Liam.

“I mean, with the pack. What do we do now? You’re kind of half in, half not” she elaborates, gesticulating: “I understand that the more you help them and the closer you grow to Liam, the more you’re in, but. I don’t know. I thought you wouldn’t want to stay with them, after… well”

Theo doesn’t know what to say. There is too much that could follow that ‘after’, too, and he doesn’t feel too comfortable about many scenarios it could raise.

“I mean, they look like they’re trying to deal with you there, and it’s good, but I didn’t think you would want to stay with people whose flaws you know too well” she adds.

Theo pulls his line in a thin line. He looks back, at the building full of people. Nobody is outside, the students are all in different classrooms. Weird, he always assumed school classes rotated so that there would be always someone using a gym, or the field, the running tracks.

He turns again to Tracy and sighs.

“I don’t know” he admits.

“You don’t know what?”

“I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know why I’m staying. I don’t know… I guess I want to belong to something, and I have more reasons to find something to belong here, in Beacon Hills, than anywhere else” he tries to explain.

This is actually the first time he says it aloud, even for himself. He’s never even thought about it, not in deep.

“So, it’s not just Liam” Tracy adds.

Theo shrugs.

“Maybe? I don’t think so” he answers.

Tracy nods, then she smirks: “Oh, I see. It’s the lethal combination of your hot blond plus a true alpha. This is why you can’t leave” she half jokes.

Theo chuckles: “Maybe. I mean… maybe. I don’t know. I don’t think Scott will ever truly forgive me. I mean, I hope so”

Tracy is serious now: “Why?” she asks, with eyes that knows the answer already.

Theo shrugs, turns to the school again.

“If he does, it means he would really forgive anyone. And, well. That will be a problem, soon or later”

Halfway through his answer he turns to face her again. She nods.

“Because next time it might be someone after him?”

Theo shrugs: “Just because I changed my mind it doesn’t mean everyone will”

Tracy nods: “I guess you have a point” she says, and changes the topic.

Xxxxx

“Theo? Hey, hi. I wanted to talk to you”

“Hi Scott. I’m all ears”

“Uh, are you with Tracy? Tracy, are you there? Hi, if you are”

Tracy snorts: “Hi Scott”

“Ok, so, I wanted to tell you something”

“Is this about last night? The sheriff already told us” Theo answers.

“Looks like you had a good time” Tracy snickers.

“Uh, I wouldn’t call it good, but… no, it’s not about that. It’s about the barrier” Scott says.

“Go on”

“Well, last night we found out that when our guy is tired we can spot the barrier” Scott explains.

Theo and Tracy nods and hums along.

“Well, now we know how to break it too” the alpha announces. He’s obviously beaming.

“Are you sure? That’s what you said last time too” Tracy starts, skeptical.

“Yes, yes I am. Sally and Lydia worked out a way to really, really break the barrier this time” Scott insists.

Theo and Tracy shares a careful glance.

“O-kay then, what’s the plan now?”

“We need to talk. Pack meeting in one hour. Can you guys wait for Malia, Liam and the others? Pick them up and bring them to my place”

“Sure” Theo says, nodding.

“Cool. Thanks! See you later!”

Scott drops the call. Tracy and Theo look at each other. They’re trying not to laugh. Tracy, seraphic, makes a face.

“Scott McCall. Your typical, happy puppy of a true alpha” she carefully states.

Theo nods, fighting down the laughter.

“Truly a wise, wise true alpha, our happy puppy of a true alpha. The embodiment of…”

“Oh, fuck you” Theo swears, laughing till he’s got tears in his eyes.

Scott truly is adorable sometimes.

Xxxxx

The puppy pack, as Tracy likes to call it and Theo will never admit it to her face but boy, how long he has looked for such a short, effective way to refer to Liam, Mason and Corey together, leaves the school building pretty soon after the bell rings. Not as soon as some students who all but catapult themselves out the entrance door, but not exactly lingering back in the halls.

Malia marches slightly in front of them, opening the way and shouldering her way through the crowd – judging from her stormy expression and the yelps the people she bumps into emits, she hasn’t had the best school day. Theo isn’t surprised: Malia will probably never understand school, just like most major human institutions.

Tracy, still on the roof of Theo’s car, chuckles. Malia’s eyes flip upward and find her in a second, and she doesn’t bother keeping down the growl. She walks briskly to them and stops, fists on her hips. Theo, still leaning against the fence, tries to appear as innocent as possible. Tracy doesn’t bother, from the way she’s grinning at Malia.

“Bad day at school?” she asks.

Malia growls: “What are you two doing here?” she demands to know.

Tracy is about to go for some smart remarks, Theo just knows her, so he answers before she can.

“Scott told us to” he explains: “he wants a pack meeting, sent us to pick you up”

“I have my car” Mason replies. Theo barely listens to him, too focused on Liam, the way his chemosignals are all over the place. He looks nervous, his eyes darting around and often coming back to Theo, as if to check that he hasn’t picked up on something he doesn’t want to tell him. Which is the best way to let someone paranoid as Theo is know that there is indeed something wrong, something he should be asking about.

Theo frowns. He waits until he catches Liam looking his way, and when it happens the blond boy blushes. That’s about all he needs to take a decision. He pushes away from the fence and makes a gesture to Tracy.

“Can you go with them? I’ll take Liam. We’ll drive right behind you guys” he turns to Mason for the last bit. Tracy nods, having caught on easily. Mason frowns, about to ask why the splitting solution, but Corey pushes him in direction of their car.

“See you at Scott’s” he says, walking away and dragging Mason along for an elbow. The human boy tries to protest but more or less goes with it. Malia scoffs and follows them, turning when she’s halfway to Mason’s car.

“You not coming?” she asks Tracy.

Tracy beams at her, hops off the hood and jogs behind her, catching up easily even if Malia turns back and resumes walking before the other girl reaches her. Tracy doesn’t care and starts asking idle questions about school. Malia grumbles but goes along with it.

This leaves Liam and Theo alone, the chimera watching the two girls as Liam’s eyes keep nervously darting his way. When Theo turns and meets his stare, Liam blushes deeply. A very, very soft hue of the sweetest, most delicious scent Theo’s nose has ever detected gets stuck in Theo’s brain, but he tries not to let Liam’s lust cloud his brain activities, or the awareness of being the object triggering it. He raises a single eyebrow, demanding explanation.

“What?” Liam asks, frowning and closing up into a defensive stance despite the blush still staining his cheeks.

“This is when you are supposed to tell me what is wrong with you” Theo patiently explains.

Liam opens his mouth again, about to protest and, no doubt, lie. Theo lifts one finger and closes his eyes: “Don’t” he orders, reopening them and fixing Liam with an unyielding stare: “don’t even try to lie to me. Come on. Tell me what’s wrong”

Liam exhales loudly through his nose, accepting defeat. He shakes his head, not exactly looking enthusiastic at the idea of meeting Theo’s eyes.

“My father called me again” he starts: “he said that Julie got better. He didn’t say anything else about her, and I didn’t ask… but he said he has a similar problem with another boy. This one isn’t a case as desperate as Julie’s was”

Theo lets Liam take all the time he needs, but he’s glad that by the point he reaches this part the werewolf is looking straight at him in the face.

"This boy still is in a lot of pain, too” he finally adds.

Theo nods: “And?”

Liam frowns: “And, what? What do you mean?”

“What do you want to do about that?” Theo elaborates, patiently.

He’s already made up his mind. If Liam wants to go to the hospital he will join, and take this new boy’s pain, just as he’s done with Julie. He won’t let Liam do it. He won’t. Liam can take care of the parents, like last time.

Liam frowns some more, then he scoffs and slides a hand through his hair, frustrated: “I don’t know. I want to help him, but… taking pain takes a lot from us. And you’re not doing it again” he looks up into Theo’s eyes with no hesitation now: “you are not. I know you’re already thinking you’ll do it, but you won’t. That’s out of the question”

Theo doesn’t reply, even chokes down the instinct to challenge him on that. Instead, acting in a very mature way that surprises himself as well, he just nods: “Ok. So?”

Liam shrugs: “Nothing. I felt… I feel sorry for the people we could help, and we aren’t. But I guess at the same time I am a bit afraid. Of, you know. Pain”

He is so obviously ashamed at his own admission that Theo feels the overwhelming, absurd impulse to scoop him up in his arms and kiss him. He almost startles when he realizes what his own treacherous brain is thinking.

He clears his throat, nodding: “I understand. And it’s fine, if this time you want to do that. Or, we can do it together. This way you could… easy your way into the perspective of doing it. And I wouldn’t mind taking… well, a bit less”

That’s a lie, and Liam probably recognizes it. Theo wouldn’t mind taking all the pain of another person. He has so much he needs to atone for – but, anyway, Liam just nods and goes along with it.

“So, are we going?” he asks.

Theo pulls out the keys of his car and gestures Liam to the passenger side.

“Get in. Call Scott, tell him we will be a bit late”

Xxxxx

This time is easier.

Dr. Geier has already spoken with the parents, they are less intimidated by the idea of supernatural creatures showing up and trying to help their five years old child, less hostile to the two teenagers showing up.

Theo charms his way in the bed of the little patient again, talks with him a bit, enough to make it easier for young David (Liam looks at his stepfather at the similar name) to trust two complete strangers and give them his hands. Theo sitting at his left and Liam at his right, they start taking the boy’s pain, Theo telling stories all the while, fairy tales that Liam feels ashamed to admit he wouldn’t have never imagined Theo knowing.

It lasts less than with Julie, probably because David isn’t as sick as she was. He falls asleep before Theo has finished a gender-bent, punk-rocker version of Cinderella set in modern years. His parents envelope the little boy in a hug as careful and loving as Julie’s parents had done, and they thank Liam and Theo with tears in their eyes.

Theo feels tired, but not so exhausted he can’t bear the idea of driving, like with Julie, while Liam feels barely worse than after heavy session of practice. They promise Dr. Geier they’ll stop for food along the way and set off for Scott’s, where the entire pack is waiting for them…

When they show up, they are confronted with meaningful looks and awkward expressions. Liam looks around, confused, asking what’s wrong and why nobody is talking. Scott looks at Theo with a painfully embarrassed face, Tracy smirking like crazy, and realization hits Theo like thunder.

“What the fuck!!” he exclaims, throwing bewildered, unbelieving glares at anyone whose face he meets: “Of course not! You bunch of perverts!!”

The room explodes with sounds of skepticism and protests, while Liam, taken completely aback, looks at Theo as if he’s gone mad.

“What?!” he asks, his voice going up.

“They think we’re late because we fucked” Theo crudely explains, fighting down the embarrassment.

“Well, that would be a realistic conclusion” Tracy replies.

Liam starts spluttering curses, insults and denials, all the while blushing red as his jersey hoodie. Most people laugh, and Theo would as well, if he wasn’t so incredibly cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is near! I'm sorry this is taking so long, life's busy and let's not mention the utter lack of respect people have for my time when I tell them I'm a busy fanfiction writer. Ok, that's a joke but. Anyway! I know I am late, I apologise, it's also difficult to maintain focus with the end so near and I really don't want to screw things up so, I'm trying to put some time between these last chapters to keep objective mode on.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Endings are complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me please.
> 
> Careful! Check the tags! Mentions of Suicide.

Scott McCall, standing tall against the window, looking outside. A time has come when he has stopped daring to do so, offering himself up so blatantly as a target, to an enemy he had to learn to expect to be lurking at any corner, always.

His mother has told him, once – all those people, Scott, all those people, nurses and doctors, professionally voted to help and save lives. You don’t know how many. You don’t want to know how many. 

Well, actually, Scott kind of knows: Liam told him, reporting what Nolan has showed him. Pointing a finger is never easy, and at the same time it should be more difficult. The former hunter has learned it the hard way.

Is it wrong that Scott, even now, still thinks, at least a small part of him, that’s fair? Serves Nolan right? He’s shattered Liam’s nose just because Liam was different. Scott will never know – hell, Nolan himself will never know how many other people’s lives his actions have ruined, or cost.

But they have forgiven Nolan and the young hunter, who has always been really a terrible one, now works with them. Or, well. He’s not exactly part of the team, Scott doesn’t feel him as part of pack, but he doesn’t mind if he hangs by. Liam sees him on a daily basis, at school, and he’s never complained about him. Why should Scott?

He drops the curtain, the fabric falling back to place. He turns and walks quietly to the couch but doesn’t sit. Should he blame Liam? Should he accuse Liam of excessive imprudence? He snorts: that would be rich, coming from Scott, who has kind of forgiven Peter, and, most of all, Theo.

He shakes his head. He doesn’t want to think about Theo. The pull he’s been feeling for days – months now, that pull, the whispers in his head day and night, the need to make sure Theo is sheltered, protected, possibly close to Liam, because what Theo does best is to protect, calm and guide Liam, and Scott can accept Theo in the pack, if he stays by Liam.

But Theo has killed him. Scott remembers the feeling of Theo’s claws in his chest and back, and no, that hasn’t been nice. A part of him probably will never forgive him. But a much bigger one has, already, and it’s started because of the protective way Theo acts around Liam.

‘Does it mean I am using him?’ he wonders.

No answer comes. Of course. To whom could he ask? The only time he’s tried it was with Malia. Lovely as she can be, she’s not the best person when it comes to ambiguity and moral. She’s shakes her shoulders, saying, what if you are?

But what if he is, indeed. Theo doesn’t seem to mind, being used as Liam’s guardian, and, let’s be honest, he does a much better job than Scott. Probably because they are each other’s anchors, or, to the point that now that is what they have become.

Does this mean Scott has failed Liam? Does this mean Scott should have offered Theo the chance, at least, to use him as his anchor?

He shakes his head. Too much thinking: Stiles was right, he shouldn’t worry this much. And he shouldn’t threat Theo as a sort of damsel in distress. He knows better than you how to recognize a situation he doesn’t want to be involved, Scotty, Stiles has said. But, hasn’t Theo done exactly that with Tracy? And Stiles has a point, it hadn’t last much, but, the fact that Theo has allowed it, even for a couple of days, is enough for Scott to feel… unsettled, to say the least.

Another, very good thing that Stiles has said is, don’t deny Theo his merits, or his capabilities. And, Stiles definitely has a point saying that Theo can take care of himself.

But, Scott wonders, raising a clawed hand to caress the back of his couch – and when has he lost control, why does he lose control over Theo - he wonders, is it that bad, that Scott wants to offer Theo the chance to rely in him as a beta does to an alpha? Is Scott worrying about Theo so useless?

Isn’t the easy and comfortable way Scott and the others feel when Theo is around a proof that they have already given him a second chance, that they’ve forgiven him, and that he is pack?

Xxxxx

When Theo and Liam arrive it’s… well. Scott has argued against anyone claiming they were late because they were ‘busy’ or just hinting at them hooking up, not because he refused the idea of Liam hooking up with the former big bad chimera – although thoughts of ‘my baby beta growing up’ might have passed his brain and, no, that has never been the case with Hayden – but because, well.

He just couldn’t deal with the mental image. And, it didn’t feel fair to either of them, assuming they were banging. Also, let’s be realistic: Liam isn’t exactly the brightest crayon of the box, Scott can’t picture him getting through his head that he’s attracted to Theo. And it doesn’t seem likely, Theo doing anything more forward or explicitly open than he’s already done.

Then again, Tracy and Mason had a point, Liam has, indeed, strutted through the room and sat close to Theo looking at anyone around as if he dared to contest his claim on the chimera.

But, anyway. As soon as they enter the front door people start snickering, coughing or wiggling eyebrows at them, and Theo gets it in less than twenty seconds. He blushes, which actually kind of support Stiles’ theory about Theo’s hopeless crush for Liam – damn, Scott owes Stiles money now. Maybe he can pay in pizza?

Liam, though. He blushes to a red so violent that Scott, for just a second, worries he might hurt himself. The moment the thought ‘does a blushing of that level hurt’ forms in his head he feels a proper idiot. Overprotective much, right? Anyway.

Liam does a very, very pathetic job at defending Theo’s honor, his own and in general denying anything they might have done or might do in the next twenty years, so fervently he swears his packmates are a bunch of pervs and of course he isn’t like that and not even Theo. Which is all good and perfect until Mason crooks an eyebrow and deadpans, Liam, you’re exactly like that.

Liam gapes in horror at his best friend, surrounded by snickering people and Tracy pointing out that it’s not exactly like Theo is chaste and pure.

“That’s fine! How about we stop here with the assuming things that didn’t happen and focus on how to kill our sorcerer, mmm?” Theo loudly declares, hands high in the air and looking at Scott in a somewhat endearing, pleading way.

Scott feels a bit tempted to indagate Tracy’s statement, but he very magnanimously drops it and claps his hands together, clearing his throat in the loudest way possible. Which, by the way, hurts a bit. Theo owes him.

“Ok, people, let’s postpone the moment we put Theo and Liam with their back to a wall and pin them with uncomfortable questions for later. Lydia, are you and Sally on?”

Follows a girlish chuckle and Lydia confirming from Scott’s laptop that yes, they’re on. Theo throws a glare in direction of the laptop, as if he’s realized that Lydia and a girl he doesn’t know have just assisted to the attempted destruction of his ego. Again, Scott will not laugh and sure as hell he will never apply the term ‘cute’ to describe anything related to Theo.

“Can you tell the rest of the pack what you told me before?” Scott asks. Lydia does, explaining very clearly and down to the details how she and her witch roommate Sally have worked on a way to detect and break the magic barrier the sorcerer uses.

“How can you be so sure this time it will work?” Liam asks, frowning in a very unfriendly, skeptical way, bordering on sulking.

“This is actually an universal remedy. Like a Passepartout with doors” a female, unknown voice they all assume belongs to Sally answers: “we tried to find out which could be the correct dosage, before, but now we have figured out that this way works better. This is a panacea, a solution for every case”

“So we hope” Laura Hale murmurs, a tad gloomily.

Scott nods, but he’s smiling. He’s confident that what Lydia and her friend are saying is not just true, but will work. And Parrish confirmed before, when Scott has called the station, tat they know the identity of the sorcerer. They basically have him.

The relief he feels knowing it’s soon going to be over…

“We need a plan” he declares, attracting the complete attention of anybody in the room.

“Potentially one that works better than last one, please” Tracy adds, just a tad ironic. Scott grimaces, sort of apologizing for the day she’s spent in the hospital, recovering.

“Are you girls really sure we can crack the barrier open with the magic dust, this time?” Parrish asks again, not really convinced.

Peter scoffs: “It’s not about whether they are really sure, it’s about whether it will really work”

“We are sure” Lydia repeats, firmly.

“If you say that with such certainty, Lydia, darling, I surely will believe you” Peter replies smoothly, and with a face very indicating how little he believes his own words.

“Peter, I saw it. It will work” Lydia adds.

There is a small silence after that.

“All right then” Peter finally says, in a tone that suggests he’s apologizing.

“Cool. I like to know someone has already seen we won’t die” Mason smiles.

Corey snorts and looks at Liam. Liam is busy, frowning at Theo. Theo is looking at Scott.

Scott frowns, meeting Theo’s eyes. The chimera looks skeptical, if not like he was last time they came up with a plan. There’s worry on his face, clear as the light of day, and Scott imagines he doesn’t want Tracy, or Liam, to go through what has happened last time.

“This time it will work” he promises.

Theo snorts: “We know who the guy is, we know what he’s using. Apparently now we also have a way to break through his defense. If it still doesn’t work, we don’t deserve to survive” he declares, with a sarcasm too gloomy for Scott’s taste.

Liam shakes his head. Theo, sensing the movement and the shift of Liam’s emotions, snaps back to look at the blond boy. They look at each other in silence for a while, then Liam nods.

“I promise I won’t do anything stupid or reckless this time” he says, with a soft, but true, smile.

Theo snorts, looking down. When he meets Liam’s eyes again he’s trying to play it cool, and ruffles the blond hair in a joke: “I will believe it when I see it”

Scott doesn’t need alpha senses to know that he’s missing something. These two here look like they have condensed years of conversations in just those few seconds of silent staring at each other. He wonders how close you must be with someone, if you start being able to talk with them with a sort of secret code only the two of you can decipher.

He’s not the only one who’s noticed, of course. Actually, literally everyone in the room has noticed, even Lydia and Sally, through the skype camera. The Hales are observing the exchange with different stage of amusement on their faces. Parrish is pressing his lips together so hard he looks like a duck. Tracy and Mason share a knowing grin and Corey shakes his head. Malia, good, amazing, prosaic Malia, shakes her head and snorts very, very loud.

“Yes, so. Anyway!” she exclaims, definitely breaking the moment. Theo and Liam both blush. Scott watches the red creep up Theo’s face and the way the chimera struggles to shove it down. It’s like the final sign of a doom that’s no longer impending: it’s here, finally among them, and nobody can survive it.

‘These two idiots really are in love’ he thinks, looking at them with slightly startled eyes. It’s nothing he didn’t already know and yet he feels surprised, amazed. He meets Laura Hale’s eyes and she flashes him a toothy, knowing grin. The resemblance to Derek’s current expression is almost shocking.

Scott just nods. And then they start work on their plan.

Xxxxx

The plan works.

It’s so great, so incredible, so magic – it works. Theo repeats it in his head, like an echo: it’s working, it works, it’s working. The barrier opens. The barrier shines, visible and plain in sight. They spot the sorcerer. The barrier breaks. The barrier is down.

But then his heart stops in his chest and his eyes go huge and he dives for where Malia is standing and pushes her down, flattening her over the grass: “Get down!” he screams., falling on top of her.

“Get off!” she protests, trying to squirm away. She stops as soon as a beam of light and magic incinerates the point where she was standing two seconds ago. She stills, turns to face Theo with an unreadable expression, and grinds between her teeth, “Thanks”

Theo snorts, pushes himself off the ground and starts jogging towards where Tracy is fighting some zombies.

“You’re welcome!” he shouts back to her, without looking.

He passes Mason, Corey and Argent. The hunter shoots zombies down with his beloved rifle. Theo is pretty sure they normally wouldn’t have the entire head of a zombie explode, but, whatever. Corey and Mason cover his back, manning pretty long knives that, if they were any longer, could count as swords. Corey in particular looks surprisingly good at swinging his in a very effective, and efficient way.

Theo snorts and lunges on a zombie running towards Tracy. He brings it down, digs his claws in the tender, rotting flesh of its neck and tears it off the body. He gets back to his feet and runs to his previous position, to cover Tracy’s back. Liam, the third corner of the triangle they form, kind of nods at him swinging punches to the zombies coming his way – although it could have been just his way to express disgust at the state some of the zombies’ bodies are in.

“Welcome back!” the werewolf shouts Theo’s way. He kicks a zombie in the chest, sending it sprawled meters away.

“Keep the head when you do that!” Tracy scolds him, without even turning to look at him. She grabs the zombie closest to her by the hair and kicks the body away, the head torn off, like Malia has showed them almost one, long hour ago.

“I was busy!” Liam retorts, not turning as well but rather keeping his eyes on the incoming zombies.

Theo closes his hands in a joined fist and swing his arms against his own attackers. The most decomposed bodies explode with disgusting wet sounds, ribbons of flesh flying in every direction.

“How I miss the good old monsters whose bodies didn’t decompose on us!” he half screams, half mutters, switching to legs – at least, if he kicks the zombies away, he will manage not to have their squished body parts under his claws.

“Barrier’s down, Theo” Tracy complains, turning as soon as she’s sure there are no other creatures headed her way left: “why the fuck is the sorcerer not dead yet?” she demands, half whining and half mad.

Theo snorts. He agrees, but. He makes a gesture towards the point where Scott, Derek and Laura are trying to get close to the sorcerer, with no success. The barrier is down, but their bad guy isn’t tired enough yet to no longer being able to rely on his magic.

Tracy looks, understands, and growls softly under her breath.

“How do we help?” she asks Theo.

Liam beheads the last zombie in their proximity and joins her, looking at Theo in a very expecting way. Theo doesn’t know. He tries not to shrug to underline it. He never likes admitting he doesn’t know what to do.

Peter, Parrish and Malia run towards Scott and the Hale brothers. All they can do is surround the sorcerer on what was the perimeter of the barrier, now dissolved, but they can’t get close enough. Lightnings of magic keep flashing in any direction, keeping them busy dodging.

Liam shakes his head, his body a coil of tension. He walks silently to Theo, looks at him. Theo almost drowns in the blue eyes, not really sure of what he should read in their depth. He can still rely on his sense of smell enough to know that Liam is pissed, angry and furious, yes, but that is hardly new.

What is new, is that, even if he’s basically trembling with the need to catapult himself wit the others on the line surrounding the enemy, he doesn’t, he keeps still, close to Theo. Waiting for Theo to tell him what to do.

Exactly as he’s promised Theo he’d do.

The moment Theo realizes, he finds his throat suddenly dry.

“What do we do?” he asks.

“We need to tire this guy down” Tracy points out, stepping up to Theo’s other side.

It would be comical, the way they are disposed: in a triangle, like the one usually used to describe an emotional entanglement.

Which..

“Yes, we should” Theo agrees, shoving down the idiotic part of is brain that found the time to waste energies to think that. Especially given the circumstances. Focus on more important things: focus on how, how can they tire down the sorcerer, enough that he won’t be able to cast magic lighting of magic and…electricity? Around.

“Theo” Liam calls him. Theo snaps his head back his way. Liam’s eyes are so blue, his mouth so red. Surprisingly, he’s not biting his lips. But there’s blood dripping down his chin anyway.

He turns again to the sorcerer. He’s surrounded, but he throws his lightnings around. He can still bail it. Why hasn’t he yet? It wouldn’t be difficult: he just has to throw one in direction of someone and run that way as they’re flat on the ground. Instead he keeps turning, facing the one coming his way, murmuring the words of the spell in loop. As if he was waiting, instead of wanting to escape.

As if he was looking for something. Is that the reason why he hasn’t escaped yet?

As if he heard Theo’s thoughts, the sorcerer stops turning, stop spinning on his feet. He looks Scott’s and Laura’s way, but he’s not paying attention to them. He’s not really looking at either of them, Theo realizes, he’s rather looking beyond them, at…

Him.

The sorcerer smiles, in triumph. It’s an ugly sight, one that freezes Theo’s blood in his veins. Lips too thin and white are stretched wide to reveal sharp teeth, almost fangs, and eyes with split pupils burning red.

“What the fuck?” Tracy startles.

“He’s a chimera!” Mason shouts, almost punching Corey with the handle of his machete.

Scott, realizing that the sorcerer is looking past him, tentatively turns to watch behind his back. Meters away, Theo stands, frozen on his spot, and doesn’t meet Scott’s eyes, too busy holding the evil stare of the red-eyed sorcerer.

“Why are his eyes red?” Liam asks to Theo.

Theo knows. He remembers, but he whishes he didn’t.

“Theo, is he an alpha?” Tracy presses, making a move to touch him but not actually doing so.

Theo, still frozen on the spot, keeps looking at the man in the circle.

He knows him. Enough to know that he’s since long lost any human sides and it’s more an it than a him, by now.

The funny thing, he realizes, is that, even if the sorcerer is hardly a stranger, it’s the first time Theo looks at him and knows his name. Knows his story. Knows, finally, why this guy is so twisted.

And that knowledge is power, he realizes. Power that, finally, Theo has over him.

He doesn’t have to cower in front of him, doesn’t have to run behind the Doctors’ cape and beg them for protection, doesn’t have to humiliate himself and hear them laughing, the sorcerer laughing along because, really, poor little Theo, aren’t you supposed to be the one we will one day inject with the beast serum?

Theo’s shoulders relax, his face spreading in a confident smile. If his fangs show, well, all the better. he kips his chin up and lets his eyes glow yellow.

“Hi Mark. Long time no see” he drawls.

The sorcerer chuckles. His voice is still raspy and cold, and Theo has to fight down the shiver it still triggers. Liam, despite never meeting this guy before, has the same reaction. Theo can see Scott fighting the urge to do as well – and it’s a freaking good thing the alpha has brought his full attention of the biggest threat: the sorcerer, in front of him. Not Theo, behind his back.

“My, my, Theo. Look at you. I’ve always said you’d become a beauty. The things I would have done to you...” the red eyes wink in a way that’s creepier than creep, and Theo has seen a lot of creepy stuff in his life – but, to be honest, many of those that made the top ten came from the sorcerer himself.

He doesn’t answer. There is no way he can get the upper hand with a witty comment. The sorcerer has always leered after him, he’s made his intentions pretty clear to the Dread Doctors short after they took Theo in – and only the surgeon’s firm decision to preserve Theo’s body pure from any external interference he considered uselessly immoral has kept Theo safe from the sorcerer’s plans. They both know.

Instead, Theo chooses to use the only card that will give him the upper hand, and possibly, hopefully, throw the sorcerer off balance.

“Yes, Mark, I know. Then again, I bet what you wanted to do with me wasn’t much different from what daddy dear must have done to you, eh? I mean, before burying you alive, I’m sure he must have tried exorcising you in any other way he could think”

Tracy snorts, hiding an incredible fit of laughter. Liam gapes, and so, predictably, do Scott and Mason. The Hale brothers are unreadable, barricaded behind their expressionless faces, but Peter is snickering.

Malia turns to Theo: “Ew, Theo” she very loudly comments.

The sorcerer, or, as Theo thinks he should now call him, Mark Doyle, blushes with fury.

“You don’t know anything” he accuses.

It’s not as insulting as he clearly hoped it’d be. And it’s also pretty false, Theo thinks, smirking in glee. He’s basically summed up the entire sad story of the sorcerer in a sentence: that pretty much shows anyone that Theo knows at least something, indeed.

“You know, after what we’ve read your father has done to you” Parrish starts, his body burning half his uniform to shreds and eyes hard with anger: “I used to pity you. I used to think, this poor bastard has turned psychopath but was once a victim”

Theo feels like patting Jordan on the shoulder. The words, pity and victim shake the sorcerer like thunder, and he brings his red eyes to him, wide with incredulous fury. But Parrish is a hellhound, and probably the only type of creature in this world who wouldn’t be too bothered by a magic lightning. What with actually being made of fire.

Theo chuckles under his breath.

“Yeah, Mark, I’d say we know enough about you. I mean, now that I am sure you’re you, I mean, that you are really the sorcerer we were looking – Parrish, believe me, I know stories on this guy you’ll like even less”

Jordan Parrish sneers: “I don’t need much to hate this guy more, Theo”

“Oooh, but, believe me. These stories will just give you all the reasons you might need to want to kill him”

Scott frowns and turns to Theo, pointedly showing the sorcerer his back. To fuck a bit with Mark Doyle’s pride and ego, as if to say, this guy’s not so dangerous that I wouldn’t turn my shoulders on him: “I thought we’ve been clear on this, Theo, we aren’t killing him. The rule is delivering the bad guy to justice”

The sorcerer laughs at tat: “Like you could do that. And by the way, Theo, does your alpha know you’re a pretty little homicide yourself, too?”

“Yes, well, you see” Peter answers, gesturing carelessly with a hand in the air: “this pack is special. True alpha and all, you know. Half of this people are hopeless, all for utopic heroism…”

He points with the back of his hand to Scott and Malia, then he flashes blue eyes and fangs and smiles very, very charmingly: “The other half is murderers and killers who don’t exactly regret killing”

Theo lies, knowing fully well that anyone with the ability to detect a lie will know – but, Mark Doyle, sorcerer extraordinaire who has injected himself with all the type of supernatural DNA he could find but who’s always dismissed werewolves’ sense of smell as crass and useless, he can’t detect it. Theo grins and makes a small gesture to salute Peter’s statement. Laura and Derek’s expressionless façades also crumple and they smile, angelic and creepy with blue eyes and fangs.

“Yes, anyway” Argent pipes in, cocking his rifle: “not that I mind this little chat, but, can we kill him? Or almost kill him? I really want to shoot him, Scott” he smiles, eyes squeezed to keep aim and finger ready on the trigger.

Theo grins madly. This man, this creature that used to be a man but turned into a monster – not too differently from what Theo himself has done, although with the dedication to a purpose of an adult, which Theo had admittedly lacked, he used to be his worst nightmare. The awareness of overcoming it feels so empowering, he’s made speechless with the elation flooding in his veins.

Mark Doyle pins Theo with a glare, nodding silently.

“What good have you been to your doctors? They are dead, and you’re a failed experiment, they should have just given you to me” he says, sitting it out in a way that doesn’t even try to hide what his plans for young Theo had been.

“Uh, Mr. Doyle? Mark? Hi. In case you don’t know, the hellhound over there” Mason intervenes, emerging on the tip of his toes behind the Hales: “is a cop. You’ve basically just admitted, in front of him, that you’re a pedophile. I wouldn’t really talk any longer” he smiles, beaming with his hands clasped on his chest.

Tracy snorts, turning to Theo: “You know, I can’t believe this is the bastard who brought me back. I mean, it’s not that I was expecting to be so important my resurrection would have moved god himself to do it on his own, but…”

She drops it as if she suddenly had a very bad taste in her mouth and gesticulates in the universal way to say, what is this, this is so lame. She looks at the sorcerer, alone in the middle of the circle, surrounded by a line of supernaturals he can’t pass. She shakes her head, almost disappointed.

“You are so pathetic” she comments, accusingly.

Mark Doyle nods, and that’s when Theo knows he’s about to do something. He moves to protect Tracy, but, before he can move to drag her away he sees with the back of his eye a flash of light coming his way.

Several things happen at the same time: Liam shouts, Scott roars, a body obscures Theo’s visual and he falls on the ground, a body sizzling with magic and electricity burning on top of him. He screams and clasps his hands on the body’s shoulders, half to push it away and half to help whoever did this to save him – and he sees Tracy’s eyes, unnaturally calm in the confusion.

Her face is twisted with pain, but her eyes refuse to look anywhere but his – and he knows it’s because she thinks she’s going to die.

He roars and clutches harder on her shoulders, black rivulets slithering away from Tracy and up his arms, and – distantly, he hears someone else roaring too, and screams, shouts, blood, magic, and Liam crouching close to them and grabbing Tracy’s hands and taking pain as soon as Theo does.

Then, mysteriously, everything goes black, and Theo loses consciousness.

Xxxxx

Pain.

He staggers to his feet again. Has he collapsed again? He’s collapsed again. He pushes on the palm of his hands, tries to walk. The wall is close, thank god, thanks to any divinity he’s stopped believing in, and he sags forward, using it to take some steps.

He reaches out. He’s exhausted, his magic is wearing him to the bones, he’s going to have to spend a long time not using it now, or it will kill him, in the end. Just like all those people have anticipated, told him, scolded him, warned him. Before he killed them.

No, no, no. magic, I need the magic. I’m nothing without the magic. Magic is all I have. But if I don’t stop – I need a break, I don’t want to die, I needed magic to not die, in the first place – it won’t kill me, you understand?!

But there’s no one here, no one to shout to, no one to understand. Only the wolves, tracking him down, following the blood he’s lost. He vanished and teleported far away, enough, he’s hoped, that they won’t pick his scent up again- wrong, he’s been wrong. He can sense them coming, can feel them approaching.

Getting closer and closer.

He looks up, forward. No point looking up to a sky where he knows no god resides.

He swallows, pushes his hand flat against his chest, pressing on the wound to try and contain the bleeding, and gets back to walk.

Xxxxx

When Theo wakes up, the first sense that comes back is… well. A sixth sense, probably. Perception: before smell, before sight, before hearing, he spends a few seconds (or maybe a long time? impossible to know without opening his eyes and checking a time piece. The oxymoron is unavoidable) just knowing that he’s alive, here, and lying somewhere soft and warm.

A bed?

He knows he’s safe, which is good enough. But he doesn’t know where, and old habits and instincts take over, pushing his eyes open and forcing his brain t take in his surroundings. Machines beeping, but none he’s attached to. Soft humming of electricity, voices, people walking. Some floors below someone is crying.

Chemicals, mixing with chemosignals, pain and fear, but also happiness, and a very strong wave of relief coming right from his right…

He opens his eyes, turning his head and immediately finding Liam. The blond wolf jumps to his feet and reaches for his hand, taking it delicately into his and sitting on the side of the bed Theo lies on.

Theo looks at their joined hands with a frown and raises a single eyebrow to Liam.

“I’m not going to die, am I?” he asks, half sarcastic, half making a point.

Liam scoffs and smiles, trying to pretend he’s pissed at Theo’s somewhat harsh reaction rather than just glad o see him awake. Beyond Liam, Theo sees Tracy, lying motionlessly on a bed.

Again.

He frowns, looking at Liam with his mouth open, but the boy anticipates his question.

“She’s fine. And no, you’re not going to die. You clutching to her has split the impact of the lightning in two, so this time she was struck… less” Liam explains.

Theo looks into his eyes, trying to read what Liam isn’t telling him. He doesn’t see an answer, but he can guess. And, because Liam knows that Theo is getting that piece of information out of him anyway, he goes on, adding softly: “But she had just recovered from a very strong hit, and this one wasn’t exactly an easy walk for neither of you”

Theo nod, not bothering playing tough. It hurt, like a motherfucker, and he doesn’t see the point pretending it hasn’t. On the other bed, Tracy seems to be still sleeping. He turns to Liam with that silent question.

“She’s fine, Melissa has already checked on her, and my dad, too. She woke up a bit earlier than you, too. She’s tougher than you, uh” he says, the last part only half a joke: “she fell asleep not long ago. She just needs to rest a lot” he continues.

Theo nods. He swallows, looking back down to his hand in Liam’s, whose fingers are drawing irregular pattern on the back, rubbing gently. As if to check Theo is there, he’s fine. And yet, the first thing that Liam does when Theo comes back to the world of conscious people, is telling Theo that Tracy is fine. As if he knew that Theo wanted, needed to be reassured she was.

He swallows saliva, because he can’t swallow the rising guilt and embarrassment.

This thing he’s got going on with Liam… it’s a mess. He can’t stop it anymore, and he can’t go back. And he knows Liam is involved too, by now, and he knows Liam, enough to know that, once he’s recognized and accepted being attracted to Theo, he won’t just stop. Ever.

But Theo… He still feels an obligation to the person lying in that other bed. Even if she told him, go get your boy. She pushed Theo towards Liam, but, this doesn’t mean Theo feels at ease, moving on with this thing he and Liam have, right in front of her.

But Tracy is pack. She is always going to be there, to see.

He swallows.

Liam is ridiculously attractive, and by now Theo has given up on trying to smother down the rising lust that sparks whenever Liam does or says anything – damn, sometimes it’s enough that Liam just looks at him, or breathes.

Like right now.

The look on his face is all Theo needs to know how much Liam already know, of this entire mess going on in his head. And still, he’s there, holding his hand, touching him just that tiny bit that allows himself not to panic but still respecting some kind of boundary he must think they should respect. In front of Tracy, presumably.

A part of Theo wants to rebel, wants to grab Liam’s shirt and drag him down, wants to kiss him stupid and hold him close to his chest, lie there on that hospital bed under Liam’s body as if he was a blanket instead of the dearest person on Earth to him, and look at Tracy while she sleeps, wait together that she wakes up.

Well, that is a bit unrealistic, isn’t it? Literally wanting two things at the same time.

Theo isn’t that much of an asshole. Or, well, not anymore. And even if he wants it, he knows better than doing it. So he pulls his lips into a smile, never mind how forced it might look, and looks at Liam in a way that doesn’t require words. The blond boy just smiles, mirroring that half-pained, half-resigned expression, and lets go of Theo’s hand.

Liam takes a few steps back, sitting in a chair he’s conveniently placed in between the two beds, and clasps his hands together over his chest. He tries to look casually slouched there, elbows on the armrests of the chair, fingers that are in no way twitching, clutching over one another as if to keep him from jolting back up and get back on Theo’s bed, to hold him. It kind of hurt Theo – no, scratch that, it definitely hurts him, but, what can he do? So he clears his throat and twists to the side, leaning all his weight on his right shoulder. Liam almost jumps to push him back, but desists only at the last moment, probably when he realizes that if he touches the chimera he won’t get ever back into this chair.

Theo struggles a bit but manages to sit up, his hand blindly reaching behind to push and pull the pillows, arranging them the way he likes, so that he can rest on them without lying down. Liam watches, lips pulled in a thin line, and snorts when Theo’s finally done and silently dare him to reprimand him.

“Congrats, you can sit up” Liam comments, sarcastic.

Theo snorts and smiles, playing along: “Like a real boy!” he says, and it makes Liam burst out a chuckle of laughter despite himself. He stops and turns to check on Tracy, who’s still sleeping.

“Shit. I thought I’d wake her with that one” he mutters, turning back to face Theo: “you’ve got miles to go before being a real boy, you know”

Theo snorts: “Not gonna contradict you on that one”

A small silence falls. They look at each other, at Tracy, and after some time Liam adjust his chair so that he can see both Tracy and Theo from the same position without having to twist in his seat, just slightly turning his neck.

“She’s recovering much faster than last time” Liam feels the need to point out, looking at Theo. The chimera just nods, serious and silent, his teeth grinding together.

“And… my stepdad was here, by the way”

“You’ve mentioned”

“No, I mean… after he checked on you two. He came to tell me about Julie. Remember? The first kid…”

“I remember” Theo interrupts him: “what about her?” he asks, frowning slightly. He’s in no state to take anybody’s pain, barely manages his own at the moment, so he kind of whishes that Dr. Geier isn’t expecting Liam to take on what used to be Theo’s task.

Liam shrugs: “She’s better now” he answers.

Theo fixes him with a pointed look: “Liam, she was dying before. What does exactly mean, that now she’s better?”

Liam blushes and makes a face: “I mean, he didn’t really explain, ok? And I didn’t. I was… uh…” he blushes more, clicks his tongue, and tries to steel his face into not bursting into flames: “I was more concerned with you and Tracy. I might.. not have cared enough to investigate more. Once he told me she was better, that was… fine for me. Back then”

Theo snorts. He can’t really avoid it, Liam looks adorable right now.

“It’s ok, Liam. You can always ask later”

“Unless it’s to ask Theo out. Then you can ask it now” Tracy’s voice pipes him, startling Liam so much, he whips his neck her direction she almost gives himself whiplash. Theo looks her way, too, and silently checks her for a few, tense seconds.

“Are you done? Because that’s kind of creepy, Theo” Tracy asks, lifting an eyebrow in a terribly judgy way. Theo doesn’t care: he doesn’t even blush, even raises an eyebrow back, challenging her.

“Oh my god” Liam mutters, hiding his face behind his hands and failing to try how much he is blushing, instead. He gets pinned with both raised-eyebrows stares, and dies even further for embarrassment. He’s emitting wordless sounds on his chair in a way that’s frankly both endearing and confusing.

“I’m sorry, how come he’s blushing instead of you? Did you have your sense of shame transplanted into him?” Tracy asks, jokey-sassy enough that Theo loses the contest and breaks first into laughter.

“To do that I needed to have it in the first place” he argues, trying to salvage his honor.

Tracy scoffs: “You’re right, you’ve never known what shame was. Must have been the reason why Corey was so nervous around you”

“I thought it was because I was a murderous maniac?” Theo deadpans.

Liam’s hands fly down and he gapes at him. Tracy, instead, doesn’t look impressed much: “No, actually it was because you’re hot. And you would strip in front of him like it was no big deal”

Theo’s eyebrow shoots up the way he can’t help, when he’s already fighting down another fit of laughter.

“Oh my god, please, stop here” Liam praises, literally clasping his hand together and shaking them in front of his face: “please, both of you. Stop now”

Tracy snorts and doesn’t bother to hide the smile. She actually looks Liam’s way. Theo feels his heart beat faster in his chest, watching her look Liam with that smile, soft and happy, and he wonders – can he have this? Can this be his... his what? His pack? He already has a pack, absurd and still new a notion as it might be, and this…

Tracy stops smiling, and pins him with a hard stare, almost a glare. As if to say, why did you have to ruin it, I was making an effort for you already. Theo understands every word she doesn’t say and have the decency to blush. He looks away and clears his throat.

So what, he’s caressed the dream-like thought that maybe he, Liam and Tracy could solve this triangle in a very inclusive way. Was that so wrong? Would it be so inappropriate?

‘I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t rip her arm if she touched Liam, so maybe she has a point’

“Theo” she calls him, her voice hard. Liam, confused and not following, turns to look at him and her, repeatedly. Theo shakes his head, silently telling him to drop it, and clears his voice again.

“Ok, so, I would go home, if nobody objects” he declares, abruptly changing topic.

Tracy nods, agreeing. Liam gets up, walking slowly out of the room, as if he didn’t want to leave. The way he walks, all but colliding with Theo’s bed before making it out of the room, doesn’t leave room for misunderstanding about who he’s so not keen on leaving.

They wait till he’s out, and far enough that he won’t pick up their voices. To be extra sure, they keep it to hushed whispers.

“Look, if you don’t bone him soon, I swear Theo, I am going to hurt you. Do you understand?” Tracy states, glaring his way.

Theo sighs and rolls his eyes: “Do you seriously expect me to do that?”

She lifts both eyebrows: “Yes? I have no intention to go on like this, being the only thing keeping the two of you apart. And I know it’s actually what I am” she adds, daring him to contradict her.

Again, Theo sighs and looks away: “Look, I understand, ok? Seriously, I do. And I … appreciate. I know you want to help. But, There are things we have to figure out anyway. His pack… this pack, they haven’t really forgiven me yet. I will not buy my way into it through Liam”

Tracy holds his stare for a while, expressionless and at the same time with a very judgy, hard glare. After a while, she snorts, smile her lopsided smile and kips her head to the side.

“Ok, you can’t be serious. I mean, I know you’ve changed, and you’re questioning everything you’ve been before, but you can’t be this stupid. Seriously”

Theo rolls his eyes to the ceiling, not really liking where she’s going.

“Seriously, Theo. Stop calling it Liam’s pack. Scott considers you part of the pack just like anyone else. For fuck’s sake, they consider me pack! You know you are”

“Yes, well, maybe I’m mad at Scott for taking me in just like that!” Theo replies, his tone rising.

“Because it means he’s an idiot and he’s really that careless exposing himself to risk?”

“Yes!”

“And I agree, but, Theo, it doesn’t change the fact you’re already part of the pack. Why the fuck can’t you stop”

Theo shakes his head. She’s right – unfortunately so, but he doesn’t want to discuss this, him and Liam, with her. Hell, he doesn’t want to discuss it with anybody.

She doesn’t push it. The silence drags on, so long that Theo looks back up her way, frowning, curious to know why she’s not pushing it. She meets his eyes and just shakes her head. He cant read her chemosignals, which is probably a first – he’s always been able to read what was going on in her head.

“You can take your own decisions, Theo” she tells him, in a sort of enigmatic way. He’s about to ask her what she means by that, when they hear footsteps approaching, and soon enough Liam steps back in the room, followed by Dr. Geier and Melissa McCall.

Xxxxx

They go home.

Liam follows.

She doesn’t mind: she’s made peace with is presence, and she’s happy that at least him and her can get along fine enough not to step on each other’s toes. It’s not like they will ever talk about it, but, she thinks he’s figured out that, with her being alive, Theo is going to need to keep her close just as he needs Liam.

Tracy doesn’t know what Liam thinks, Mr. perfect Beta, the one who follows in the footsteps of the perfect alpha, but, even if she doesn’t know him, she’s understood him enough to realize he’s not exactly happy about the situation, but he’s willing to play along.

There is only one problem.

She’s stuck to Theo, because of the kanima inside her head, the animal side of her mind that needs, insanely so, to be as close as possible to Theo, that whispers, every day, every moment, that she needs to be closer, closer to him. Just like Theo needs her by his side, as a sort of fucked up memento of his past deeds, but also because of their bond – not just the master and kanima one, but also the ‘you sort of were my alpha one’. The one that Corey is so good at ignoring, pretending it doesn’t pull him back to Theo every given moment.

So: she’s pulled towards Theo, Theo needs her close, but loves Liam, and feels, obviously, attracted to the aforementioned blond perfect beta.

It doesn’t matter how good she and Liam become at tolerating each other, they are bound to live forever in this sort of stalemate, unable to break the balance, unable to pull Theo closer without hurting him and themselves.

Yes, Theo is dead set on trying, she can see that. And, she thinks, looking him and Liam bicker over which movie to watch for the afternoon (Scott, the Hales and Argent are running after the sorcerer, and with them half the police station, so they have the afternoon off, so to speak) – she thinks, Liam is onboard for trying to drag this balanced situation on for as long as they can.

Until someone snaps, and it will break, and cue in lots and lots of pain.

She excuses herself for the bathroom and hides her tears under the running water and loads of soap.

She doesn’t want to do this, but, like hell she’ll let these two morons drag this nightmare of a situation on for so long.

Xxxxx

Tracy is in the shower. For just a fraction of a second Theo thinks he smells tears, but he’s sitting so close to Liam, he’s a bit embarrassed to admit that his nose got sidetracked back onto Liam. The good scent – the first one he’s smelt ever since coming back from hell. Who knows, maybe he’s imprinted a bit on him since then.

Liam is choosing the episode he wants to watch. He insisted Theo needed to catch up on his pop culture, the one that he’s all but completely missing, what with his unusual childhood, and the fact that the Dread Doctors didn’t really allow for Disney movies marathons or Star Wars ones, and not even Marvel movies’ one.

“Though, really, I understand that one. They didn’t want their precious spawn of evil retreat to goodness, right? Can’t have him watch hero movies” Liam has pointed out.

Teo hadn’t bothered contradict him.

Tracy has left as soon as they settled for the movie to watch, right after siding with Liam on the need to have Theo catch up on Star Wars and Superheroes movies. She said she wanted to shower, but Theo doesn’t need supernatural senses to know she just needed a moment alone. He just hopes she’s not crying. He hates when she cries in the shower, and the mere fact he can’t avoid picking up on the fact after she’s done it, even if she frets so much to try and hide it from him – it doesn’t matter, he knows. 

So he didn’t object, let her go, and doesn’t try to refocus on her chemosignals to try and understand what’s going on with her – he kind of already knows. Instead, he allows his brain to be completely taken over by Liam – the scent of him, the way he looks, the warmth that blooms in Theo’s chest whenever he looks at him and remembers how much he wants to grab him, kiss him, drag him back on the sofa.

Liam turns back, calling him, eyebrow raised. Shit, he’s asked him something, and Theo was so busy lusting after him he hasn’t even heard the question. He licks his lips and stammers a very pathetic, very revealing, ‘what?’, trying to act cool.

It backfires. It backfires all the ways from here to Mars and beyond. Liam’s pupils expand in a moment, his eyes going from pale, sapphire blue to almost black. Theo briefly wonders what’s going to happen, if Tracy comes back and find them like this, Theo, slouched on the couch, legs splayed open (and really, he should close them, shouldn’t he, but, oh, must he?) and breath going more and more ragged by the minute, and Liam, kneeling at the far end of the couch, hands clutching the remote for the TV like crazy, and this hunger on his face Theo has never seen on his face.

Of course, what he doesn’t know is that the air is so thick with lust that Tracy doesn’t need to walk in on them, she can smell it even with the shower still going. She shakes her head, chuckling very, very silently, and finishes rinsing off her hair, nose and ears carefully trying to pick up anything from the other room.

Liam licks his lips and throws the remote on the couch. He pushes back up and stands, walking slowly towards Theo, who’s rooted on the couch and can’t move, can’t even make a joke on the fact that Liam right now is strutting and preening – is this just lust? Theo wonders. He’s never felt anything like this. Never.

Liam stops a few inches short of Theo’s legs, right in the middle of his open knees. He looks down at him and swallows, beating his lashes, fighting against something that Theo suspects very much being the urge to fall down over him and kiss him or more – god bless him, what is he supposed to do, what are they about to do?

The shower stops, and that’s when Theo manages to get back on track. He swallows, clears his throat, his eyes darting towards the bathroom door. When he looks back, Liam has closed his mouth and is breathing through his nose, and is taking a few sensible steps back.

Theo swallows again, blushing. Liam’s eyes are still dark, and there is a hard line in his jaw. As if he was trying to keep from lashing out, gone from aroused to angry in the blink of an eye.

“Let’s watch this one” he says, turning and grabbing again the remote: “Tracy! Are you coming or what!” he calls loudly.

“Well that’s the rudest way I’ve ever been asked, but ok Dunbar” she answers, showing up in new clothes and sliding on the side of the couch farthest from Theo.

Liam just snorts. Theo, fighting to get rid of the blush still staining his cheeks, presses his lips together. He sneaks a glance to Tracy, but she doesn’t meet his eyes, keeping hers one the screen as she and Liam start discussing the plot and the backstories of the very few characters already introduced in the first twenty seconds of the selected movie.

Clearly a forced conversation dragged onto a safer topic, one that will keep the two of them from start fighting for Theo, claws and fangs out.

Theo swallows, again. He tries to step into the discussion, mainly asking questions, given his abysmal knowledge of who this, hawk guy? Should be. Of course, it’s not like he can focus on the answers he gets, he’s a bit too distracted by the absolute awareness that, whatever was going to happen between him and Liam, Tracy knows.

Shit, Tracy knows.

Xxxxx

It’s dark outside.

It’s dark outside, and it’s probably for the better.

She can’t think straight, drunk on repressed pain and about to feel sick with the thick fog of lust she’s had to put up with for the long hours they’ve spent to watch the first part of their movies marathon.

She sighs. At least now she can breathe freely, and the only thing she smells is her own despair, Liam and Theo sound asleep in the other room. She’s opened the big window of the bathroom and is sitting on the windowsill, elbow on the hard stone and face cradled in her hands. She’s wearing her night shirt, and the floor is cold under her feet, but, she’s got bigger problem at the moment.

She closes her eyes.

Theo sleeps, safe and sound, in the bedroom they are still sharing. Liam has insisted he could take one of the beds in the kids’ room, and she can hear his steady heartbeat, signaling he’s sleeping just as safe and well as Theo does.

She knows this can’t go on. They can’t go on like this. When she’s gone back in the living room after her shower she’s found them literally three seconds from tearing the clothes off of each other, and Liam’s inner wolf has been mad as hell for being denied his… partner? Boyfriend? Beloved? Mate? Whatever.

Tracy appreciates, sort of, the celibacy that Theo has imposed on Liam and himself, entirely for her sake, the most jealous side of her surely does, but she’s always been a very pragmatical and realistic person, and she knows this is not a feasible solution in the long term.

If I keep staying in the picture, she thinks, I’m always going to be a problem. I’m always going to be Theo’s appendage, worse than before, I will never be my own person. And I will always keep the person I love the most on this world from being happy.

She thinks, should I leave? Where should I go? Would it be enough? Theo would insist to find her. Unless she made it clear enough she doesn’t want to be found. But, even so, Theo would spend, waste really, a lot of time sticking to this idiot celibate rule of his, the one he’s imposed on – well, the three of them. So, even leaving, she would still be between them.

Can she stay? Well. Not really. The pack is fine, they tolerate her at beast, nobody is really her friend, but that’s fine for her. Mason and Corey are polite enough, even if she suspects they will never understand the way she’s behaved with Theo – frankly, neither can she.

The entire pack will probably never understand and forgive her for the way she’s treated Theo before. She’s forgiven him enough to use him, and then stopped and cast him aside as if he was her plaything. Well, she’s stopped only because he asked – whatever. She would have stooped anyway, probably. Soon or later.

No wonder the pack is bound to always think she’s crazy. She’s starting to question her own sanity, herself.

She joins her hands together and lets them slide up, against her nose and mouth, as if she was praying.

Should she? Who would listen?

The problem is that she shouldn’t be here, she knows. She wouldn’t be here if it hasn’t been for a maniac killer. And really, even if she loves Theo, she can’t help but find it a bit frustrating that her life always depends on the decision a psychotic killer takes.

She remembers what she’s told Theo, only a few days prior – my life will always be yours.

Yes, if she lets the kanima speak.

She shakes her head, ashamed of herself. She can’t even be sure of her own mind. It’s like the night terrors, the nightmares, the dreams, have never stopped.

Isn’t it ironic? Her life doesn’t belong to her, just like her death doesn’t.

But she’s already lived a life blindly following someone. It’s not like she doesn’t want to give Theo a second chance – it’s that she doesn’t want to accept the fact, to surrender to being just a tool, a monster, a thing that needs directions.

She has a soul, for fuck’s sake, shouldn’t she have free will as well?

But she doesn’t, she doesn’t, because the beast inside her head does what Theo wants. Even if Theo doesn’t want the responsibility anymore, even if he feels guilty, even if she doesn’t want to have another person have all that power over her – again.

And there is another problem. As if she didn’t have enough, right? But it’s true.

She wants Theo, she needs Theo. But… She starts laughing , a dark, soft and wet sound, she’s started crying without realizing – who cares, really? The problem, the other one, the additional one, she’s lost count and can’t keep track – without the kanima, she suspects, without the kanima tying her to Theo, she really suspects she would have gone in a completely direction for a life partner.

As in Malia’s way.

And, she chuckles more, tears falling fat and heavy, of course the other one she picks is taken, too, and completely smitten for the alpha of the pack that barely, just accepted Tracy in.

There is no way to win this, is there? She looks up, the night sky, stars twinkling and darkness. No moon in sight.

She shakes her head.

There is no running away from this.

She swallows. She doesn’t want to do this, objectively speaking, so, who cares if she cries, right? She’s afraid, and she has every right to be. She’d love to have someone here, right now, someone other than Theo, even Liam, someone to tell her that there is another way and they can do this and she doesn’t have to.

But she’s a monster, and she wants to be free.

She picks up her phone and starts writing a text. A long one, to explain Theo, because he won’t understand, he will refuse to understand – hell, she hopes she can be done with this before he wakes up or realizes what’s happening. She doesn’t want to go through this again.

So she types, types, types.

She tells Theo how much she’s hated him and then loved him. How she will never get him out of her system and how much of a phoenix he’s been, come back from hell a completely different person – if I was my own person, I would follow you now. She tells him, I love you, but you don’t, and I can’t live knowing I’m the reason you aren’t happy. I want more than this. I need to be more than this. I have every right to be more than only what holds you back.

She’s done crying earlier than with the text, in fact she has to types four different ones, or what she needs to say will not fit the limit. When she’s finally done, she feels lighter, her mind finally silent, as if, ironic again, the monster in her head had gone silent, as if to tempt her, please don’t do this.

But she has made up her mind, and she never backs down after taking a decision. She bends in front of the cabinet where she’s seen, the first day Theo has brought her home, the pills she’s recognized from her first life as a human. She pushes towels in the bathtub, because, fuck you, if she’s got to do this, she’s going to be comfy about it. She swallows every pill, then wonders, what if my healing kicks in? So she takes another box and another, and this will probably hurt more than planned, if she mixes like this, but, well. Either her healing butts in or it doesn’t, right?

She slips in the tub, eyes set on the starry sky outside.

When the sun rises, waking Theo up with the streams falling directly on his face, Tracy is still sleeping.

As she will continue to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added the trigger to suicide for a reason. Personally I don't think killing characters is an easy way out - it's too easy, and most of the times completely unjustified. Now, I wanted to get you to see inside Tracy, to try and see why this would look like a ...good? Feasible? A feasible idea, a solution to her problems. As I've already mentioned: it's not just the characters you like, the ones suffering. And I think Tracy is one of the most complicated characters on the show, so I wanted to investigate her a bit more.
> 
> If you don't agree that's fine, I will love to read what you think. Just please respect the fact that this is my story, and it goes this way.
> 
> Also: I apologise for the typos or mistakes or things that don't make sense. I'm a bit brain dead and I've written this, basically, all in one go. I can't check it right now - this chapter has pushed its way out of my head and has left me boneless exhausted. I'll get to that as soon as I feel again as a human being.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then it ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It ends with a bang.

They wake up, Liam in one of the twin beds in the kids’ room, Theo in the master bedroom. In the big bed where he’s been sleeping since months, since the end of the war, the very same bed that he has shared with Tracy, since she’s come back.

Waking up: opening eyes, blinking sleep away.

Liam yawns, once and again, trying to activate his sleepy conscious, to trigger his memory just by batting his lashes. Come on brain, where am I. He pushes his nose down on the mattress. An involuntary grimace of disgust takes over his face. He pushes up on the palm of his hands, shaking his head and gagging slightly. Yuk: eau de supernatural child. A particular type of supernatural Liam isn’t familiar with yet (but that wouldn’t be a surprise, given how little Liam knows of the supernatural realm, even now).

Liam pushes further up, into a sitting position. He wipes at his eyes with the back of his hands, coming to terms with the definitive notion of being awake. He looks at the bed with a forlorn stare. True, the smell is awful, but it doesn’t bother him, if he tries not to focus on it. It’s too faint now.

‘Because it’s been a long time since a kid has slept in this bed’ Liam thinks.

Well, there you go. It was a nice, sunny morning, till that thought came up and ruined it. Now it’s a nice, sunny morning in which Liam remembers he’s survived a massacre. He’s a survivor. Good thing, right? With the gut-wrenching, horrible downside of who knows how many other kids his age (and younger) not faring as well as he had.

He’s a survivor… the kid this bed belongs to maybe isn’t.

Liam shakes his head. As bad as he feels, the real tragedy is that, at sixteen years old, he’s already gotten so used to this kind of situation that he can shrug it off with little more than a grimace, a sad thought, a prayer to any divinity there might be.

He feels bad, sometimes. Others, he wonders if this is just survival instinct taking over.

Anyway, now that he’s awake enough to lose himself in philosophical considerations, Liam frowns, because, wait. Last night he noticed that the room had a somewhat pleasant smell. The faintest trace of were-something, of love and family and positive emotions, overwhelmed by the strongest presence in the entire flat – and that means, unmistakingly, Theo. That warm, familiar, good smell of the chimera, the scent that cause Liam’s brain to go off tingling, from the most to the least human.

But now, this familiar, good, tremendously good smell is tainted, even ruined by something much less welcome. There is something that smells chemical, tangy, the type of scent that Liam has learned to associate with negative emotions like fear, pain.

Liam, still frowning, sits on his heels and takes a big sniff. It could be Tracy, except she didn’t smell like this, yesterday. Maybe she’s sad?

‘She must be really sad’, Liam thinks, noticing how strong the smell is.

His ears pick up on the sound of rustling sheets.

Theo.

The sense of wrong associated with the smell Liam mostly perceives mixes and clashes, swirling together with the much better, more welcome scent of Theo’s body, moving around.

A rush of lust washes over Liam, forces him to swallow to keep it down. He does it again, and then another time, just to be sure he’s got this.

It doesn’t help when his traitorous brain almost unintentionally comes up with the mental image of Theo the night before. As if Liam’s brain couldn’t help it. Theo, sprawled on the couch, legs splayed open, looking so safe and taken care of, sheltered and comfortable.

Liam knows, with absolute certainty, that, whatever had taken over him yesterday, whatever had demanded that he jumped and ravaged Theo and made him scream in pleasure – that push had all come from Liam’s brain, no supernatural help needed.

All human Liam wanted was to flatten the chimera down on the couch pillows, sit in lap and kiss that plump, red mouth, to make him close those perfect green eyes and make him sigh and moan…

Liam shakes his head and swallows again. Eyes shut, he breathes in and out, and sighs, frustrated and disappointed with how little control he’s proving to have even in this situation. Not even when the awful smell of something bad still lingering strong and unavoidable in the air.

‘Seriously brain? Haven’t we literally just said now it’s not the moment to pop a Theo boner?’ he scolds himself.

His eyes closed, he can focus on his hearing. His ears perk up and he notices that the rustling of sheets has stopped, replaced by the soft padding sound of Theo’s bare feet on the floor. He can imagine, almost as if he was seeing it, the face of the chimera, still groggy with sleep, his skin still warm and his heartbeat calm and slow.

But, wait, something is wrong, Theo’s heartbeat skips and speeds up, and so do the feet on the floor, walking faster and almost jogging on the floor – Liam springs upward and all but breaks into a run, joining Theo in the bathroom, his own heart thumping wildly because this is Theo’s fear and it mixes with the horrible smell from before and Tracy – where is Tracy?

‘There are only two heartbeats in the apartment’ he realizes.

Where is Tracy?

Liam reaches the bathroom’s door barely five seconds after Theo. His hands clutch the wooden jambs and it’s a good thing, because he’s afraid he wouldn’t be able to stand, if it wasn’t for that. Also, he might be ruining them completely, but, well.

A small thud breaks the silence, the soft noise of Theo’s bare knees hitting the tiled floor, accompanied by a strangled, half-aborted and unintentional sound of pain. Not for the knees, but from somewhere much, much deeper inside the chimera.

Liam finds Theo kneeling beside the tub, hands hover in the air, only a few centimeters away from Tracy’s lifeless body. The chimera is shocked into silence, no other sound but that soft yelp coming from him. There’s the unmistakable scent of tears in the air. 

Tracy is in the tub.

Liam’s brain tries to process the information.

Tracy’s body is in the tub, but there are only two heartbeats beating loudly in the silence of the apartment.

Liam’s and Theo’s.

But Tracy is in the tub.

Liam frowns at her feet propped on the side of the tub, dangling slightly when Theo jostles her, scooping her up in a tight hug.

There are only two heartbeats in the apartment, and Tracy’s heart is still.

Liam swallows.

Theo drags Tracy’s body out of the tub and sits it in his lap. He hides his face in the crook of her neck, her face falling backward. Her hair is so long it reaches the floor. Liam doesn’t know Tracy much (didn’t, his brain corrects him, speeding up), but he knows her enough to be sure she wouldn’t like that. Her hair on the floor.

Theo’s face is hidden, pressed against Tracy’s collarbone. His shoulders are trembling slightly, and this alone could tell Liam that he’s started crying. The sobs, really, Liam doesn’t need to hear them. Why must he? Can’t his own ears close and shut that horrible sound away? Cut it off?

Theo is crying, Tracy’s body lifeless in his lap, hold tight in his arms.

It looks so much like the night Tracy came back to life, and yet it couldn’t be more different from that. Liam, exactly like that night, feels his brain trying to switch off, feels the same pull, from some hidden part of his soul, like another person stepping up and taking over.

But he doesn’t let it.

‘This time’, Liam tells himself, ‘this time, I will be able to help Theo’.

He doesn’t know how, but he tries. He swallows, ignoring the tears that are coming up in his own eyes, and hunches down, kneeling opposite Theo. The chimera doesn’t look at him, doesn’t move, and his face is still hidden against Tracy’s chest. But the line of tension n his shoulders tells Liam that yes, Theo knows fully well that he’s here.

Liam swallows again, eyes roaming over Tracy. Her upturned chin, hiding her face from view, her still chest, her arms abandoned. Liam reaches out with a hand, tentatively going for her wrist. It’s cold, but not too cold. There is no heartbeat and something tells him the blood in her veins has stopped running, but he couldn’t judge since how long.

Has this happened hours ago? Less?

How late were they?

He tries to open his mouth, but he can’t speak. He swallows again and stands on his knees, making to tip her head failing at the very last minute, finding out he’s not able to touch her.

Even so, he can see the relaxed expression she has.

It hits Liam so strong that he falls back down on his heels.

She hasn’t been killed.

This isn’t a murder.

This…

‘This is her own doing’ he realizes.

Theo has stopped crying, but he doesn’t look up. Liam looks at him, not able to speak.

There is no pulse in Tracy’s wrist, and there is no heartbeat coming from her. Because she’s chosen this.

Liam opens his mouth and again tries to say anything. Tries to tell Theo, she’s done this herself. Tries to ask Theo, why? Do you know? You, who always have an answer, do you know?

But Theo doesn’t look up and Liam can’t speak.

He closes his mouth, teeth clicking.

He looks down at Tracy, again. He can’t help himself, his brain spinning in circles. 

Why. Why. Why.

‘Is this my fault?’

The question needles his way into his consciousness. It surprises him, angers him, fills him with shame.

Look at you! Here you are, Tracy’s dead body, and you blame yourself? Are you’re sorry for yourself? Don’t you have a bit of heart?

But then, he thinks, this is the heart of the problem, isn’t it?

Heart.

The one that doesn’t beat in Tracy’s chest anymore, and the one that probably told her that this was a good solution.

‘Am I selfish, that I start thinking another person’s decision to end their life has to do with me?’

He can’t answer. No answer comes up. So he swallows again and stands again on his knees. He reaches for the tub, grasping the cold rim and holding on with white knuckles.

Tracy’s phone is inside.

It takes him two attempts before his hand successfully closes around it, but then he has it. He turns, sliding against the tub, his shoulder colliding with Theo’s naked one. The sudden contact jostles them and they find each other’s eyes. Liam blue going slightly yellow, the same shade mirrored in Theo’s green, aqua irises coloring up, for once, even faster than Liam’s.

The chimera isn’t crying, but his corneas are reddened by the tears and his cheeks still stained wet.

They hold each other’s gaze, silently talking and at the same time not understanding what the other is saying. Then Theo hint with his chin at the phone lying in Liam’s hand.

Liam looks down, opens the message folders. His finger hoovers over the icon for received messages, but can’t bring himself to open it. He doesn’t want to find out this can be interpreted, can be seen, as his and Theo’s fault.

“No” Theo says, his voice hoarse and croaky.

Liam startles and looks back up at him. The chimera’s eyes are back to aqua green. There are new tears rolling down his cheeks, but it doesn’t look like he’s even aware of the fact.

“Open the sent one”

Liam looks down again and swallows. He follows Theo’s order. And that’s how they find Tracy’s text. Or, well, Liam does. Theo reads only the first few words, then he closes his eyes and looks away, turning his head to the other side. He holds his breath and pushes down the sobs, his shoulders trembling. His fingers clutch Tracy’s arms so tight that if she could, she would complain.

But there is no complain, no bruise, because, well.

“Read it aloud, please” Theo asks, still looking away from Liam.

Liam turns, his face as if he’d been just slapped. He’s about to ask how can the other expect him to read such a message aloud, when he realizes that Theo wants, no, he needs, desperately, to know what Tracy wanted them to know. The message is addressed to them both, after all. But he couldn’t.

“Please” Theo insist, begging.

Liam swallows, take a big, big breath, and reads.

His voice breaks at least twice before he’s done. He gulps down the sobs and takes a break and goes back to it, for Theo. And because maybe he needs this himself, too.

Tracy had been alone. Sad, and alone, and desperate.

‘Is this what being depressed feels like?’ Liam wonders. He will never know.

By the time he has managed to reach the end of Tracy’s last message Theo is silently sobbing, his head now bent over Liam’s shoulder. He’s still clutching Tracy tight to his chest, almost cradling her. Liam can feel his jaw working, tensing up and relaxing, against the flesh of his arm.

Silence falls, a long one, Liam not able to use his voice after reading Tracy’s text and Theo not managing to speak. Then, after who knows how much time, the chimera sighs.

“This is my fault” he breathes out.

Liam’s brain answers before he can think better.

“We literally just read it is not”

And he didn’t intend to sass, he would never use sass in a situation like that, but his brain kind of took over, ok? Some part of his brain. Probably not the smartest one.

Theo snorts.

“That sounded very much like Stiles” he points out, his voice exhausted. Liam can feel him smiling. He can’t see his face, but he doesn’t need to see the sad, broken smile to know it is there.

Theo swallows and nods.

“No, you don’t understand. This is my fault”

This time, Liam doesn’t protest, doesn’t deny. He just waits. Theo sighs again.

“I should have known she would have done this. Never had an ounce of survival will”

Liam doesn’t know what to say to tat.

Theo snorts: “I mean, obviously, or she wouldn’t have come that close to me the first time” he adds. The wit Theo is so well known for comes out bitter and cynic. Liam feels an incredible urge to slap him, to tell him, to ask, to demand to know what the fuck Theo is thinking right now.

But he doesn’t, he keeps his mouth firmly shut, and Theo goes on.

“This is my fault. Again” he whispers, and a snort of bitter laughter, mixed with tears, breaks his voice, forcing him to pause, breath, start again: “I killed her once, and now I’ve killed her again. Even when I didn’t want to”

He shakes his head, as if he didn’t believe his own words, or if he couldn’t believe that Tracy really was gone. Another snort of bitter, teary laughter shakes him.

“I’m really, really the worst” he whispers, smiling wider and clutching Tracy’s closer to his chest, even if there’s no more room.

“Theo” Liam starts, because he needs, wants to stop this. Words fail him, and a spike of anger ripples through him. Hi, rage, welcome back. How have I not missed you.

And it turns out that all his efforts have been for nothing, because, Liam is, after all, jostled out of the control room in his brain. Only, instead of that weird calm taking over, this time is the much more common, less appreciated, good ol’ anger.

He swings forward on his knees and prepares a punch, pulling it at the very last second. He waits there, arm bent and ready, fist closed, Theo abandoned against the tub, Tracy in his arm, looking at him from under his lashes.

As if he was waiting for it.

As if he’d known.

Liam fumes, but he forces himself to breath. He even literally pushes air out trough his clenched teeth, forces himself to relax. He sits back on his heels and lowers his arm, hands clutching his kneecaps for precaution.

He doesn’t meet Theo eyes, he’s too busy breathing his anger out.

When he’s sure he won’t hit him, he raises his eyes again. He knows he must still look angry, and he feels his irises flashing yellow, but he doesn’t really care right now. At least he’s in control. Somewhat. Enough not to hit Theo.

“Did you do that on purpose?” he asks, voice a dangerous whisper.

Theo smiles, again, exhausted and broken, abandoned against the tub.

“I’m sorry, Little Wolf” he whispers back.

The apology is sincere, Liam knows, but it doesn’t help him much. He clenches his teeth and sticks his claws in his knees. It hurts, the pain grounding him. The smell of blood hits both of them at the same time, and they both look down at Liam’s hurt kneecaps.

“Oh, Liam…” Theo starts, sighing.

He closes his eyes and jostles Tracy, freeing one arm and offering it to the blond werewolf.

“I’m sorry. I… I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry” he apologizes.

Liam hesitates, but he can’t turn down the offer of that outstretched arm for long. He settles against Theo’s side, his nose stuck against the side of Theo’s neck, breathing him in. Feeling the blood pumping in his veins and hearing his heartbeat steady in his chest. He clutches at the chimera with one hand in his hair and the other firmly pressed on his chest, right over Tracy’s body, and where he can hear and feel Theo’s heart the best.

“I’m sorry” Theo repeats in another hushed whisper.

“Don’t do that again” Liam breathes against Theo’s neck.

“I’m sorry”

“Don’t use me again like that” Liam says, needing to hear himself saying those words.

“I won’t” Theo promises, and turns, enough to be able to tip his head down and kiss Liam’s hair.

“I’m sorry”

“I’ll never hit you just because you think you deserve it.” Liam insists.

Theo shushes him and kisses his temple: “I know, Liam, I know. I’m sorry. You’re much better than that. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that”

And that’s something Liam can’t hear. He rebels to the fingers softly carding through his hair and pushes the gentle hand away, backing off to look at Theo in his eyes.

“No, Theo” he says, firmly looking at him: “You are much better than that” he corrects him.

He doesn’t know what possesses him.

He just needs this to stick.

To press the truth into Theo.

He… he didn’t plan it, ok?

He just closes the distance and presses a hard kiss to Theo’s mouth.

Close lipped, almost brutal. Pressing the hard truth into Theo like this is all Liam is alive for.

Theo is surprised, judging from the harsh intake of air, but he responds with equal force. He opens his mouth, gasping for breath or in surprise, and Liam doesn’t really think about it before pushing his tongue in.

It doesn’t last long.

Enough that Liam’s tongue meets Theo’s, and the chimera moans, startled and in pleasure, right before pulling back, for some reason that Liam really doesn’t not understand and can barely forgive.

They hold each other’s gaze for a couple of silent seconds, maybe more, eyes moving from almost bruised lips back to the other’s eyes. Theo looks caught by surprise, but in surrender. Liam, instead, is a wall of firm determination.

Theo swallows, and looks down, to Tracy. He grasps one of Tracy’s hand and gently takes it in his own. Liam reaches out, cradling their joined hands into his. He bends and kisses Tracy’s knuckles.

‘You left him to me to take care of’ he promises silently to her: ‘I won’t disappoint you’ he swears.

Xxxxx

Liam uses Tracy’s phone to dial a number. It rings and rings, until Scott’s groggy voice answers. Liam keeps the phone between him and Theo, the bathroom echoing Malia’s happy laughter.

“Tracy? Uh, Tracy, can I call you back?” Scott is saying.

Liam swallows, looks at Theo. Theo looks back, his face expressionless.

‘For once, at least it’s not because he’s hiding his emotions, though’

Liam clears his throat.

“Hi Scott. It’s Liam”

Silence.

On the phone, Malia stops giggling and asks Scott what’s wrong. They hear Scott telling her Liam is calling.

“Liam?” Scott asks again.

Liam and Theo are still holding eyes. Both of them can almost feel the way Scott must be frowning. Liam opens his mouth, but he doesn’t know what to say. He ends up making a noise like ‘Uh’.

Theo tips his chin and shifts back to Tracy, cradling her and rocking her lifeless body. Her arms are jostled by the soft movement, like a ragdoll. Theo takes both of them and lays her as gently as he can before her body freezes.

Liam clears his voice again. Scott is asking why he’s calling with Tracy’s phone.

“Where are you? Is everything ok?”

“I… Tracy is dead.”

Xxxxx

Scott calls Derek.

Derek’s phone starts ringing when his owner is under the shower spray, and Laura huffs looking at it.

She can still smell blood under her nails, even after the shower. She hates it. She frowns at the phone and wills it to stop with the noise. She can’t pick it up, not with her hands in this state. The phone would take ages before stopping reeking of magic and blood.

“It’s always like this with warlocks” Peter laments, shaking his head and picking at the nails of a hand with the claws of the other. He swiped the green icon and takes the call.

“Good morning, Scott. How can the Hale family help you?”

Scott hesitates. It’s obvious that he hoped to reach Derek, directly. In the shower, the water is stopped.

“Hi Peter” Scott says.

“Hi Scott. Derek is in the shower. What do you need?” Laura steps in, business like. Hearing her voice, Derek goes back to his shower, the water running again.

“Uh, I need a favor. I hoped I could get to Derek… but, well, it’s actually the same thing”

“What is it?” Laura repeats.

Scott explains.

Laura looks deeply into Peter’s eyes for the entire conversation. Peter holds her gaze. He doesn’t hide the moment when he swallows down, saliva and guilt.

‘And so, the kanima girl has made up her mind’ Laura thinks.

She tells Scott she’ll send Derek with his car in a few minutes. In the shower, the water stops again and, truth be told, a still dripping Derek reappears only thirty seconds after, jeans clinging to his wet skin, t-shirt high over his head as he slips it on.

“I didn’t think she had it in her” Peter comments casually, looking down. He’s stopped picking at his own nails. He looks up at Laura again.

He doesn’t talk.

But he’s asking.

Laura tips her chin up.

“If you’re hoping I will as well, you've got another thought coming” she says.

Derek looks at both of them, perfectly still, a statue of tension. Peter snorts lightly, then he smiles.

Relieved.

“I sure hope so” he answers, pushing up on his hands. He straightens up and turns to Derek, throwing him his car keys. 

“I’ll follow you with my car. We can put Tracy in your backseat, I’ll drive Theo and Liam”

Derek nods.

They’ve barely reached the parked cars when Peter snorts.

“You’ll never get rid of the stink of dead chimera from your car, ever again”

Derek snorts, and cuffs him.

Xxxxxx

If this wasn’t Beacon Hill, and if he hadn’t, by now, grown particularly accustomed to them Liam would normally think how much he hates hospitals. But after the war, after the bite, after this new life – yes, well, for at least the last few years – Liam has had to come to terms with his dislike for hospitals.

This particular type of experience, though, is different. Usually, hospitals mean hours spent in frantic despair, not knowing what will happen to whoever he’s here for – and, boy, doesn’t he have way too many memories of that already.

This time, instead, he knows already that there isn’t anything to do to save the person he’s here for. Tracy is gone. That’s a fact. He’s still coming to terms with it – and with the guilt he still feels.

He’s entirely focused on Theo.

The chimera is sitting on a chair, elbows on his knees and hands holding up his head.

The Hales have showed up at Theo’s apartment, Peter and Derek, Peter with his snarky, insufferable smirk only slightly subdued, and Derek all grave seriousness. Liam and Theo have been pushed into the passenger seat of Peter’s sport car, Derek taking care of Tracy.

Melissa McCall has met them at the entrance. She’s told them Liam’s stepfather would help taking care of the necessary examinations the case demanded, mostly to clarify the cause of death.

This had been almost one hour before. The Hales have long gone, Peter not even getting inside the hospital, Derek after pushing Theo in a chair and demanding that he and Liam waited there.

And here they are, since then, Liam pacing up and down the corridor, Theo hunched forward. Thinking about Tracy, her message, and the kiss. Thinking about the words they can’t help hearing from the room where Dr. Geier and Mrs. McCall are. Thinking about, ‘such a nice girl’, and ‘poor thing’, and ‘bad history of depression’ and ‘clearly a suicide’.

Liam doesn’t know what to do.

He can feel Theo’s pain and it drives him mad because he doesn’t know what to do.

If only Theo was at least still blaming himself, then maybe Liam could do something. He would at least know what to do – argue against that. Demand that the chimera stopped blaming himself, for something that was clearly Tracy’s own decision.

But, the problem is that right now Theo isn’t blaming himself. Or maybe yes, but, not more than Liam is. Theo is simply sad, and sorry, and in pain, and how is Liam supposed to react to that?

He’s seriously starting to feel the urge to punch a wall when the soft sound of steps reaches their ears and Scott’s scent their nose. It’s almost washed out by the sterile, medical smell of the hospital air, but it grows stronger as the alpha approaches. And it’s perfect, it’s the only thing that can offer Liam some grounding, now that his own control is fucked and Theo can’t help him.

A whimper escapes the beta’s mouth, even before his alpha has actually taken the final steps around the corner. As soon as he sees him, Liam launches himself towards Scott, the alpha opening his arms, enclosing Liam in a wall of protectiveness and safe warmth.

Liam’s mind settles. There is a small part of his brain pointing out that, yes, Scott is good, but Theo would be better – but, right now, Theo isn’t able to help, is he?

‘And here I am, in the arms of my alpha, thinking again for myself first’ he realizes.

He pushes slightly away from the hug and looks up, meeting Scott’s eyes. They don’t talk, but Scott knows. He looks over Liam, to Theo, and back to Liam. The alpha smiles, his adorable, dopey smile, and Liam tries to smile back. They walk side by side to Theo. The chimera raises his head, falling backwards with his back on the chair and looking up at Scott with a tired and defeated expression. Again, he goes for is cynic smile, and the result is a washed out, pale imitation of the usual thing.

And he knows.

Theo sighs, shakes his head and bends forwards again, fingers in his luscious hair, almost pulling.

Again, Scott looks at Liam, and Liam looks back. The blond werewolf hunches down close to Theo’s side, pushes his head in Theo’s lap. Theo allows it, shifting his elbow to leave Liam some room. One hand lets go of his hair, his fingers carding softly through Liam’s.

Scott hunches down on Theo’s other side, mirroring his beta. He bends his head so that it touches Theo’s, and the chimera stills. There is a line of tension in his shoulders, and Scott waits until it slowly relaxes, and disappears.

“I’m sorry Theo” Scott whispers: “I’m sorry I haven’t protected her”

Theo clenches his jaw, Liam can feel the muscles moving. A tear slips away and falls on Liam’s cheek, but it doesn’t come from him.

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t make her feel welcome in this pack” Scott goes on.

Liam can feel the tension coiling in Theo’s body. Scott does as well. He wonders if the alpha is trying to make Theo snap. Just like Theo had tried to make Liam snap, basically asking to be hit.

Scott goes on.

“I wish I could apologize to her, for not being able to make her see that she had a place here, that she belonged”

Theo shakes his head, but otherwise remains silent.

Liam presses a kiss to the part of Theo’s body closest in reach, finding the thorn material of the leg of his jeans. Theo shakes his head again; he shifts in place, cradling the back of Liam’s head with the hand he’s no longer using to support himself.

When he looks at Scott, he’s still crying, but he’s simply beyond caring.

“I’m not an alpha. I couldn’t have protected her. But you know that she was my responsibility. I should have told her that she had a place here” he argues, the lucid words clash with the broken sound of his voice.

Scott shakes his head, ready to deny Theo’s self-accusation, but even with all the authority an alpha can muster, he simply can’t argue against what he himself believes truth. He bites his lip and tries to speak more than once, but in the end he just scoffs slightly, half in defeat, and half standing his ground.

“This isn’t on you, Theo” Scott says.

Theo flashes his eyes yellow, growling softly: “Yes, Scott. It is”

Scott doesn’t growl back, but it’s obvious, from his expression and the tension in his back, that he would love to. He just knows better than offering Theo even the faintest chance to fight that he desperately craves. But even so he lets the red shade of the alpha bleeds in his eyes, a warning to be challenged.

The warning of an alpha demanding respect from a beta.

It works.

It works, and, as Theo beats his lashes forcing the yellow away, regaining some sort of composure, he’s startled into realizing what he’s doing.

He isn’t faking this. It just happened. Naturally. The answer to an alpha that he recognizes as his own.

“I’m sorry” Theo whispers.

“Don’t be” Scott says, shaking his head: “don’t” he repeats.

He looks down, caressing Theo’s arm. When he raises his eyes again they are soft and brown as always. A smile creeps up on his face, less open compared to his usual, but nonetheless warm and true. It works on Theo almost as the red eyes did.

“I am not going to argue with you. You will never let me win. But I tell you this: this was Tracy’s decision to take. And you are not going to take that responsibility away from her” Scott demands.

Theo clenches his teeth but doesn’t reply. After a while, he nods. Scott nods along, he himself not even sure how he managed to make Theo agree with him. He looks down and up again, searching for strength and hoping to find it that way. Maybe in the pattern of the linoleum on the floor, or in the creases of the jeans they both wear.

“We didn’t manage to make her feel part of the pack. And, I know I shouldn’t be saying this, because this is obvious already, but I’d rather look like a fool saying something that is already obvious, rather then having you make the same mistake as Tracy”

Theo doesn’t even frown. Not anymore. He knows what’s coming, and he’s tired to fight it.

This is the moment Liam chooses to raise his head, not helping the need to insert himself in the discussion between his alpha and his anchor, and looking at both of them like the adorable puppy he is.

“You are part of this pack” Scott says, looking straight into Theo’s eyes.

All honest and bleeding heart.

‘The heart I’ve made bleed already, once’ Theo thinks.

He could almost laugh about it.

How much has he wanted this? How much has he longed for this, someone to tell him he belonged? How long has he wanted to be accepted?

And now…

He feels so tired. He knows he should tell Scott to be careful, he knows. But he’s tired.

‘This is probably selfish’, he thinks: ‘So selfish’.

And maybe he is. Selfish. 

‘If I was still my old me, they should wonder if I have staged this all. Old me would have done this. Old me would have killed Tracy, make it look like suicide, cry a river and have them feel so sad they’ll officially make me pack’.

It sickens him to the bottom of his heart but, this is true, yes, he would have done it.

He has actually had plans very much like this in the past, when he was after packs to tear apart. What’s to say that he won’t do it again?

‘Nothing. Nothing, Scott. There is nothing telling you I will not do it again’ he thinks.

God, he wishes so much he could be mad at him. He wishes so much he could just punch that adorable smile off his face.

And it’s what deflates him, the anger. The desperate call for violence.

He’s mocked Liam so much about it, and yet, here he is, taking the same path.

So he starts thinking a different way. He thinks, if Scott doesn’t want to bother thinking the worst of him, why does Theo keep at it?

Should he demand that Scott takes his offer back? What would the point even be? They already trust him like pack.

Scott is right: with or without this stupid, formal sounding sentence, Theo is already part of them.

Of the McCall pack.

His eyes fall on Liam, kneeling at his feet, blond and gorgeous, and looking even more like the young god of justice and redemption that has once Theo suspected him to be.

‘I’m part of a pack’ he thinks.

It’s an elating thought.

‘I’m part of a pack’ he thinks again.

After all the time… After all the names he’s been called, by people like the Doctors, like the Sorcerer… Liar, traitor, scum, slut, fake, fuckup, no good.

Theo smiles, tired, defeated, giving up. Liam mirrors it, eyes filling up with joy, and, Theo isn’t really sure why, tears. He looks Scott’s way and meets his eyes too. Warm and brown and human.

Not gullible, not innocent, not naïve.

Just young, and warm, and ready to forgive.

Theo sighs: “One day, Scott… One day, I will manage to work on those trust issues of yours” he comments.

Scott laughs lightly: “I think usually trust issues are what you call when people don’t trust strangers at all” he replies, winking at Liam.

Theo scoffs: “Now, that would be a dream I know better than hoping to achieve” he mutters, eyes rolling and slightly fighting the blush that’s creeping up his cheeks.

Xxxxx

Scott says he will take care of Tracy. He and his mom are already talking with Dr. Deaton about burial opportunities, the doctor suggesting cremation this time. Just to be sure that nobody will interfere with Tracy’s life again. Argent knows a place for the ashes to rest, Scott’s mother says.

Theo and Liam just nod along. Theo feels empty, partly as if he’d lost all the decisional power he might have had, partly acknowledging the fact that, as an alpha, Scott has all the right to be dealing with this, instead of Theo. And it’s not like Theo has any alternative to offer, anyway.

After a while, Liam texts Mason, asking if he can take them back to Theo’s. Mason calls.

“Hey Liam” he greets in a somber voice.

“Hey Mase” Liam echoes the same tone.

Mason sighs: Liam can picture him shaking his head.

“I can’t believe this happened” he murmurs, and Liam doesn’t have anything to offer to that. He agrees with Mason, but, after reading Tracy’s note, he thinks anybody would understand Tracy, too. At least a bit.

He meets Theo’s eyes and knows in an instant that the chimera is thinking the same.

“Mase, can you drive us back?” Liam asks again. There is no need to stay at the hospital, now. Tracy isn’t going anywhere and the cremation can’t take place before hours. Argent has already started setting up the place for the burial. The Hales were mentioned as well. There is literally no need for Theo and Liam, apparently. The pack is behaving as if they wanted to shield them from having to take any kind of action.

“I… we wanted to see Tracy one last time, actually” Mason explains, hesitating slightly: “I don’t know how long we would need but…”

‘But I don’t think I can mourn as I need to if I know that you’re waiting for me to drive you back’ is the implicit part, unnecessary to voice.

“Tell him they can drive to my place, take the truck. Corey can drive it here while Mason takes his own car” Theo steps in.

Liam is about to repeat it when Mason stops him, saying he’s heard already. He is about to refer the same to Corey when Corey, as well, interrupts saying he’s already heard Theo. They hear the soft click announcing that Mason has put the call on speaker on their end.

“Hi Liam. Hi Theo” Corey says.

“Hi Corey” Liam says. Still holding Theo’s eyes. The chimera doesn’t say anything.

“We can do that. Theo, where do I find the keys?”

Theo is startled from Liam’s eyes, and looks at the phone almost taken aback. He beats his lashes a couple of times and Liam realizes that he’d been holding his gaze to keep his tears from forming again.

He explains Corey where to look for the keys and how to get in. The call ends shortly after. No longer after that, Scott approaches them once again. He looks more somber now, probably drained by discussing burials and cremation methods and reading the medical report of Tracy’s death.

“Hey” the alpha says, sliding close to where they’re waiting, between the window and the wall. There’s no chair, since they’re basically standing in the corridor.

“As I said, we’ve got this under control. The pack is taking care of it. No need for you two to further stress about it”

Liam nods. Theo looks down, face unreadable. Liam doesn’t like it, but doesn’t mention. What he does is frowning slightly. Scott catches that and presses his lips together, as if saying, I know, and I agree, but let this one time slide.

“We could organize a ceremony, if you want” Scott suggests, directed to Theo. The chimera is once again taken by surprise, as if he didn’t expect to be taken into consideration – to be given the responsibility to take that decision. He just nods.

“We could do it tomorrow, during the day, or even tonight, at the proper burial”

“Tonight” Theo answers, this time surprising Scott and Liam with the quick answer: “tonight” he repeats: “she… she came back at night. Might as well keep it a night thing” he explains.

There’s more to that, Liam can see it on his face, and Scott too, but they don’t ask, which means Theo doesn’t need to tell them about Tracy saying she and Theo being creatures of the night.

‘Drawn to light’ Theo echoes her words, looking at Liam. He forces a tiny smile, and manages. Liam rewards him with a fuller one.

Scott nods: “Look… There is something else I wanted to tell you. I know you have other thoughts in your head right now but…” he hesitates, looking mainly at Theo: “it’s about the sorcerer. Mark Doyle?”

Theo frowns: “What about him?”

“He’s dead. We tracked him, the Hales, Argent and me. Parrish and the sheriff were also there… My dad came, we were supposed to… the plan was that my dad would take him into custody. The FBI is working on some special places where supernatural criminals can be contained”

Theo raises his eyebrows: “I’m sensing something went wrong with the plan?”

Scott snorts, shaking his head.

“He tried to escape and… I don’t think the Hales wanted him to stay alive, anyway. Whether it’s true or not, they caught him back, but…” he shrugs.

Theo nods: “With a snapped neck?” he guesses.

Scott nods. He looks tempted to ask how Theo knew, but doesn’t. Theo nods and answers the unsaid question anyway.

“A guy like that, Scott, it’s safer if he’s dead. You don’t even know if the place your dad told you about even exists already. Or if it ever ill. The FBI might just take them in for experiments. In fact, they still could. Where is the body?”

“The Hales have insisted for burning it” Scott answers, his face clearing up in a way that indicates that he hadn’t agreed with the Hales doing ack then, but now understands their reasons a bit more.

Liam sighs: “Hey, the bright side is, no more zombies” he tries to joke, smiling at Theo.

The chimera snorts but smiles as well, nodding in agreement.

Scott leaves shortly after, called again by Dr. Deaton. Theo and Liam move back towards the waiting room, checking the time. Still about half an hour before Corey and Mason show up, and they feel too exhausted to spend the time standing.

This is when Liam’s stepfather finds them, about to finally sit on uncomfortable hospital chairs.

“ah, I was hoping to find you two” he announces, smiling somberly at both. His face goes serious and he looks his son first, then Theo.

“I’m sorry for your friend. I don’t know if anyone has mentioned to you but… I just wanted to let you know, this has been like falling asleep for her”

Theo sighs and lowers his face. He sits down and presses the side of his hand against his mouth and nose, eyes squeezed shut. Liam places one hand against his shoulder and Theo’s other hand shots up, grasping it.

Liam thanks his stepfather. It’s a small mercy, and he feels slightly better now that he can be sure that, at least, Tracy hasn’t spent her last hours in pain. At least not physical one.

Dr. Geier smiles tentatively at Liam and hugs him, careful not to jostle the connection between the boys. He kisses his son’s temple and looks deeply in the blue eyes, searching them with that mysteriously infallible way he has to inspect Liam’s feeling.

Once he’s found what he was looking for, he smiles warmly and kisses again Liam’s hair. Then he steps back and looks mostly Theo’s way, hunching down to meet his gaze.

“Theo, I know this isn’t a nice moment for you,” he starts, calling the chimera’s attention on himself: “but I have seen that, sometimes, in circumstances that reminds us about death, it might do good to be remembered of life, as well”

Theo holds his eyes and swallows, nodding slightly. His cheeks are stained again but he’s stopped crying.

“Do you remember the kids I had asked you to help me with?”

“Julie and David?” Liam intervenes, looking at his stepfather: “what about them? Last time you said they were better”

His stepfather nods, smiling: “They are. In fact,” he turns, holding Theo’s eyes: “they have healed entirely. There isn’t any trace left in their body even indicating they have ever had a cancer”

Liam’s eyebrows shoot up: “…How is that possible? Do you think it was us? Because we have healed them?” he asks, heart thumping faster and faster in his chest.

His stepdad smiles at him and then twitches his lips, meeting again Theo’s eyes. He doesn’t say anything, but Liam can almost hear Theo’s brain working.

“You think I have healed them” Theo says, plain and soft: “you think I’ve triggered the healing process of their cells”

Dr. Geier nods. Liam gapes. He doesn’t have any type of medical knowledge, saved for, there is blood, that’s bad (unless in certain circumstances, as Lydia, Malia and Hayden have pointed out), and even his basic knowledge of chemistry is awful. But he can understand by the expression on his father’s face that he looks elated at the news, whereas Theo doesn’t want to believe it.

“Yes, I think so” the doctor states.

Theo frowns: “But… But, werewolves’ healing doesn’t work that way. If too much pain is taken, it would kill the body hosting the pain itself. As if instead of absorbing pain they were draining life energy. And in any case it doesn’t trigger any kind of reaction – it’s simply a transfer, of pain, from you to me”

Liam’s stepfather wiggles his eyebrows: “I agree, at least from what I have read on the bestiary. This is the case, for werewolves. It is, as you said, a transfer. You, however, are not a werewolf. And what you’ve done, Theo, that wasn’t a transfer”

Theo doesn’t reply. He holds the doctor’s eyes with a wall of stubbornness that is slowly crumpling down.

“Holy shit” he murmurs, after a few seconds, speechless and so stricken by the notion that he looks almost scared: “I’ve… I’ve healed them?”

The doctor nods.

Theo is about to smile, but something must cross his mind, something bad. He frowns instead, looking only at Liam’s stepfather.

“I…”

Liam doesn’t follow, but his stepdad must, because he pulls his lips together and nods, serious and looking as if he knew perfectly well why all of a sudden Theo is afraid.

“I know, Theo. You were told you were half coyote and half wolf. Werecoyote and werewolf. And neither species could have triggered that kind of reaction”

Liam’s eyes widen, hit by the problem, understanding why Theo is afraid.

He’s been told all his life he was something. He’s just found out he’s not. Or, better: not just that.

Theo looks vaguely disgusted, but then he clicks his tongue and snorts, a cynical smile creeping up: “Hey, at least I can heal people as much as I can kill them”

Liam doesn’t really think much, he just uses his free hand to swat Theo on the back of his head. Theo dodges too late and smiles, looking up at him in apology. The cynical look vanishes, much to Liam’s liking.

“Look, I wanted to tell you that I intend to work with Alan Deaton on this. There might be the chance that we can cure things, thanks to you. To people like you”

‘You’re a killer’ Theo thinks: ‘You’re born to spill blood’.

This is what he’s always been told, by the Dread Doctors especially.

‘Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned out that, the reason why I wasn’t good enough to be the Beast, is because of whatever can make me cure people?’

He clears his voice, forcing the thought down: “You should. And call me, if you need anything. Samples, of blood, DNA, whatever. And, maybe we can ask Corey, too. I don’t know what he is, we know for sure he’s part chameleon, but that doesn’t really help, he could be literally anything else and it could just be dormant….”

The doctor smiles warmly at him. Theo blushes and turns to see Liam beaming down at him. He’s rambling. He’s… well. He’s happy. Maybe he should feel bad, that he feels like this. He wonders if Tracy would care.

He’s just been told he’s saved two innocent children.

‘How many others have you killed? How many others died because of you?’ his brain asks, but, for once, he can push the thought down, because he can think, for any that died because of me, I can heal one, now.

I know how to.

He looks again up at Liam, and beams back. He doesn’t notice the tears that roll down his face one last time.

Xxxxx

The way back to the apartment is tense and awkward, if not between them. It's a deeper, more stubborn kind of awkwardness, a feeling of unease with their own self, knowing they're heading back to Theo's flat, the stage of that kiss. Over Tracy's body.

Liam would love to be able to crack a joke about that. Call Theo a drama queen for pulling such a dramatic move - except, well, it's Liam the one initiating it. And he doesn't feel like exposing himself to further embarrassment and taint just to the sake of the current mood.

The truck is clean, as much as Theo keeps it with the almost OCD level of paranoia. And yet, since it was Corey and Mason driving it to the hospital, the scent of the chameleon chimera and of the human linger. On a normal occurrence, Liam wouldn't be bothered. He likes both, after all. They're pack, and, more specifically, they're a bit more 'his' than any other member of the McCall pack. Except Theo, obviously.

But right now even this usually welcome smell bothers Liam. He shifts for the thousandth time in his seat and fidget with a plastic piece of the door panel.

Theo's tongue clicks hard against his teeth, the sound loud in the relative silence of the car, startling Liam.

"Would you stop picking at that, you'll tear it" Theo complains.

Liam, who knows that what really bothers Theo is the fact that Liam can't sit still and therefore communicates further tension to the already nervous chimera, shrugs helplessly and mutters an apology.

He looks through his window, his hand lying on the armrest, his fingers twitching almost by their own will.

A tiny sound of plastic ripping, and Theo's heavy, suffering, knowing sigh.

Liam looks down, at his traitorous fingers that are clutching the spec of plastic he has, after all, torn down.

Blushing, he turns with his mouth open to the driver, ready to apologise, but finds himself unable to. So he scrunches his face and tries to smile.

Theo is looking at the road, understandably, and Liam feels slightly offended at the missed attention. He turns again, his scent spiking with a barely perceivable touch of sourness, but Theo is good enough to detect it, even more so now that he's focusing his senses on Liam at his 200%.

"Ok, we're not doing this" Theo declares, pulling over and stopping the car.

Liam, jostled by the sudden move, yelps, and he's still processing what's going on when he's grabbed by the collar of his shirt and dragged harshly against Theo.

Kissing him. 

He closes his eyes instantly, turning his face just so, sliding into the best position to keep this on and fit with the chimera's body at the best. Theo falters almost imperceptibly and slows down, less aggressive and more enjoying the moment himself, tongue pushing in into Liam's welcoming mouth. And welcome it Liam does, moaning and carding his fingers through Theo's hair, cupping his face.

Theo takes his time, making the inside of Liam's mouth as if he was looking for something, Liam letting him the upper hand and not minding at all the loss of control. When Theo pulls back and looks at him, almost inspecting his face to check his work, Liam moans, happy and low, smiling under heavy lidded eyes.

Theo grins. 

"Feeling better?" he asks, drawling his voice in that smug way of his that, fine, it might make Liam weak in the knees.

Liam grins back: "Yes, but could be better still" he replies, and uses the hand he still has in Theo's hair to push him back against him. 

This time it's Liam taking the control, setting the pace, and Theo just let's go and enjoys the ride. Liam dives in, all passion and hunger, and Theo tips his head backwards, slightly so, relaxing and falling against the palm of Liam's hand that still is there, boneless and open, ready for him.

The feeling of Theo giving up to him strikes a fire inside Liam, the notion of it pushing him to assert his dominance, and he can't help but moan against the chimera's mouth when the other just let's him, following his every beck and push, his body obeying to Liam's every suggestion until he's climbed up on Liam's lap, sitting astride him and grasping at his shoulders with white knuckles and panting hard between kisses.

Liam's one hand down his body, moving from his hair to the broad expanse of his back and to the firm muscle of his ass, squeezing and kneading with fingers and knuckles, the other hand still firmly embedded in Theo's hair and pushing and pulling slightly to change the pace of the kiss or move Theo this side or that. 

Theo rocks forward, the movement giving them friction and pressing his erection against Liam's hard stomach, tearing a needy, soft gasp from the parted lips of the chimera. Liam lets go of his mouth and Theo's head kips backwards, the tiniest bit, but it's all the encouragement Liam needs to dive against the pillar of his throat and start pressing kisses and licks on it, nibbling at the skin and mouthing bites with blunt teeth.

Theo gasps and moans, rocking in abandon and whispering a soft, hissed, neverending list of pleas. When Liam stops and rests his back against the car seat, looking up at him, admiring his work, Theo whines soft in protest and looks down, eyes meeting Liam's.

Yellow finding blue-ringed black.

Liam grins in triumph, all smug and that predatory feeling satisfied, for the moment. Theo breathes with his mouth open and clears his voice, blunt nails pushed down Liam's shoulders and almost tearing the skin. Liam is too turned on to care or feel the pain. 

The chimera blinks the yellow away and smirks, seductive and sly, rocking on Liam's lap and making the blond werewolf gasp. He's sitting right on Liam's erection, and the rocking movement he starts with his hips transmits perfectly to Liam's groin, making him gasp and close his eyes.

He grits his teeth and plants yellowish irises on Theo. Theo smiles, triumphant, and Liam just grins, not caring to admit the loss.

"Bastard" he accuses, squeezing hard the chimera's cheeks in his hands and forcing him to gasp and rock forward again. Theo rocks in place another time and moans softly, looking down with burning eyes.

"Me? Kettle, pot?" he accuses right back.

Liam, smug, just smiles.

He looks up at the red signs healing on Theo's throat, almost disappointed to see vanishing the fruits of his hard work, but, speaking of hard... He looks down and back up, holding Theo's heavy lidded gaze, the chimera's mouth parting as Liam lets go of his hair and uses that hand to press it flat against Theo's bulge.

Theo gasps softly, his eyes closing and reopening, lashes beating wildly to keep the yellow away, his nails going for claws in the meat of Liam's shoulders.

Liam smirks and opens his mouth as well, almost parodying Theo's expression, and pushes, again and again. Theo rocks and moans, head tipped back and eyes closed, lost in pleasure.

"Liam" he begs, bringing his eyes back into Liam's with some effort: "Liam, please" he mewls.

And how could Liam refuse that? He shushes him, his hand swiftly moving at the buckle of his belt and undoing his jeans, the other still pressing the hard fabric of the jeans against the strained erection. Theo moans and whimpers, wiggling in Liam's lap but with eyes focused entirely on Liam's hands.

Liam slows down, his attention firmly on Theo's expression as he rolls the jeans down his hips, freeing his cock and exposing half his ass. He slides one hand back and kneads the muscle of those pert cheeks again, making Theo's breath catch. And finally, finally, his other hand closes around Theo's cock.

The chimera moans and clenches his abs so hard he almost looks as if Liam had punched him. His astonished eyes search Liam's, his mouth open and panting as Liam start moving his hand and sending spark of pleasure all through Theo's body. Theo's nails threaten to break the skin of Liam's shoulders, but Liam doesn't care, and moves his hand faster, encouraging Theo to let go, to get lost in the pleasure.

"Come on Theo, come on... You look so good, baby" 

And Theo, at the name, whines and gasps and those in Liam's shoulders are claws right now, the chimera's head tipped forward, eyes covered by his fringe. Theo gasps and breathes with his mouth open, he struggles to look at Liam in his eyes and when he manages there is a beautiful, wild smile on his face.

"Who's the bastard now?" he asks, voice ragged.

Liam doesn't answer, just grins, smug and knowing, and speeds his hand up until Theo is rocking in his lap, head thrown back and moaning loud and biting his lip, drawing blood. The nails in Liam's shoulders now are claws and they might hurt Liam, but he's too focused on Theo's face distorted in pleasure to care, his every senses only taking in the chimera's face and the sounds he makes as he orgasms and almost blacks out.

Sagged against Liam's chest and head resting against the car seat, Theo breathes and pants with his mouth open and eyes closed. 

Liam looks up at him, no longer smirking, feeling too full of love to care for smugness right now. Just as if he'd heard his thinking, Theo opens his eyes and they look at each other. 

Theo snorts, blushing, and hints at Liam's ruined shirt, covered in cum. Liam looks down, presses his lips together, takes in the mess they've done. Then he shrugs, slips his shirt off and uses it to wipe his hand and clean Theo. He even tucks him back in.

Theo slides in the driver's seat, all but falling on it. He looks ravaged and yet Liam is sure there still is room for further improvement. Especially judging by the adorable way Theo is blinking consciousness back into his brain.

"So" Liam states, rubbing his jeans with his hand in a very revealing, very explicit way: "your place then?" 

Theo follows the movement of his hand, taking in Liam's state, and when he meets his eyes, his green irises have all but been obscured by the enlarged pupils.

He grins and turns the key, switching the engine back on.

Xxxxx

In the dark of the night the phone rings.

The loud noise is even louder in the silence, and Liam grumbles, pushing his head under one of the fluffy pillows on the master bed. Theo moans at the sudden loss of his own, human pillow, his face fallen on the bed after Liam ditched him.

“Why is your phone on” Liam whines.

Theo blinks sleep away and reaches for it: “Must have forgotten” he mumbles, and yawns.

He checks the time and the ID, and a cold lucidity takes over.

“Jordan? Why are you calling me at 2 in the morning?” he asks, sounding as awake as if it was midday.

“Hi Theo. I’ve just received the official permission from LAPD – that’s Los Angeles Police Department for you, by the way. They agreed on me taking over the case of a mysterious murder of one of their citizens. Oh, and I can bring someone to help me, so… chop chop! Pack your bags! I’ll be there in… one hour top, and then we can set off immediately”

Theo groans loudly, his face falling back on the matters.

“Really?! Fuck you, Jordan!” he half screams through the matters. He pushes back on his elbows and puts his phone close to his ear: “that was a funny joke, now, did you have a real reason to call or…?”

Jordan Parrish, the smartass that he is, chuckles in delight: “This is no joke, Theo! This is me and you, ready to save the world! Come on! Is this the way you answer to the call for justice? Do you think Robin answered this when Batman offered him to be his partner? Is this the way you want to be remembered for, Theo?”

By now, Liam has raised his head back from under his pillow and is following the conversation, looking at Theo with an expression of amusement, delight and the fervent desire to burst out laughing.

Theo, holding Liam’s gaze with eyes threatening death if he will dare really to laugh, clenches his teeth: “… you cannot be serious” he says, trying to indirectly suggest Parrish that he drops the joke.

“Of course I am!” is the other’s overexcited answer – and the asshole actually has the gut to start laughing, which is what triggers the same reaction from Liam.

“Theo! One hour! Even less! Quick! Call for justice! Batman!”

“Robin!” Liam screams from where Theo is suffocating him with a pillow.

“That too! Come on, Theo, what are you doing? Gee, you know what, don’t tell me. Anyway! Be ready in forty-five minutes. Don’t think I won’t burn half your apartment down if you’re late! See you laterrr” the hellhound finishes, threatening and singalonging right after.

The call drops.

Theo looks helplessly at his phone, Liam still giggling close to him, hugging the pillow Theo tried to use to smother him. The chimera raises his eyes and meets Liam’s.

“Seriously!?”

Liam bursts out laughing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, ladies and gentlemen! Holy crap I can't believe I've really made it through, this last chapter might have killed me, I just have rewritten it I don't know how many times - thank you quarantine for giving me a purpose to stay at home I guess!! I hope the end didn't disappoint you, I hope the characters aren't too out-of-character and I hope you haven't been too disappointed by Tracy leaving the scene that way. And I hope Scott didn't look too naive and that I've managed to give some meaning and ambiguity to ALL characters because, well, that's the idea behind: nobody is just good or evil. Right? 
> 
> So, if you want to leave a comment please feel free to! I'd love to read your opinion! Also, if you notice things that aren't consistent, please let me know, and as for mistakes, I will take on the painful task to review allllll chapters in the next days, so you might see different versions from time to time, but I promise only minor things would change.
> 
> Thanks again for flying with us, cabin crew get ready, no wait I've screwed up the orders - who caaaaareeeeessss me is a free elf!!! Tell me you want the Nile! SUuuuuuuucaaa
> 
> Ok, I need a break.  
I love you all!


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